


Pretty Pretty Princess

by Sharonfofaron



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2019-06-10 01:55:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 22,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15281028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharonfofaron/pseuds/Sharonfofaron
Summary: You and Sam have apartments right next to each other, and most of the time you only see each other getting the mail, et cetera. But soon things are about to change...will the famous Sam Drake charm get you to warm up?For some reason I imagine this as young Panama Sam.Funny how stories get away from you! So far our characters have been in New Orleans, Syria, Iceland...and maybe more to come!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [New In Town](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10389693) by [subtlesinner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/subtlesinner/pseuds/subtlesinner). 



> A lot of my work has kind of common themes, because I'm wishy-washy and can't pick just one story to have the things I like, so don't worry! You're not seeing double or anything!
> 
> The neighbors idea and the idea of having Cassie be part of it is inspired by Next to You ( http://missdictatorme.tumblr.com/post/167096475869/next-to-you-chapter-1-sam-drake-x-reader ) which is fantastic, and the themes about all of the Uncharted gang being friends and having parties at Sam's is inspired by New in Town, linked above! Another fantastic fanfic!

It was late after work on a Friday, and you were headed home from the museum. It was a simple, but cushy job you had in the office; you arranged travel for the researchers who worked there, helping them to plan digs, booking their flights, organizing their hotels and speaking engagements...most of it could be done through email, but today you'd had to talk a lot, and you were feeling a bit frazzled. English was not your first language, and you still weren't really used to being the most talkative one. Your two sisters were the ones who had done that, and it was hard to undo years of growing up as a sidekick. Now, you had to be a solo act.

Your jaw firm, you stepped into your apartment building. You'd chosen this, Y/N, you reminded yourself. You'd CHOSEN this. It was better than the alternative--

"Heyyy, there she is! How's it going, Y/N." Sam was at the mailboxes, wearing a long-sleeved dark cotton shirt that hugged his muscles and left hints of the abs and biceps underneath. He didn't have a cigarette in his mouth, but sometimes he did--and today, like every other day, that mouth was casually smiling as he leaned against the boxes. 

He must have heard you coming; you dressed nicely for work, on principle really, and he always seemed to hear your heels clicking in the entryway. (You, of course, had no idea that Sam had just rushed down the stairs to "get his mail" after hearing your heels on the sidewalk outside). You gave him your normal little smile as you started to pass by. You genuinely liked Sam, actually; he had no way of knowing it really, but that smile was your version of a big one compared to what you showed most people. 

Encouraged by the smile, like he always was, Sam spread out his arms to gesture towards himself confidently. "I'm gonna get you to say hi to me one of these days, Y/N, it's gonna happen," he said in his smooth Boston accent. You loved that accent, at least on him; it relaxed you to hear him talking on his phone on his neighboring balcony to yours, or to hear his laugh louder than the others when he had people over. 

You smiled at him again and headed up the stairs, Sam watching you go and grinning to himself before thoughtfully taking out a cigarette and lighting it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several days later, Sam was in his apartment with his niece Cassie and his sister-in-law, Elena. They'd been talking about Nate's most recent antics, laughing, when the clock chimed six and Sam abruptly glanced at it. Noticing the strange behavior, Elena perked up. "Got a hot date, Sam?" she asked, laughing a little, but kindly. She knew Sam wouldn't really take to being mocked about if it he did. 

Sam laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "No, I just--I've got this pretty neighbor who never talks and this is always when she comes home." He was surprised to hear himself say it; maybe he'd been thinking about you more than he thought. It's just he'd been watching this thing the other day that reminded him of you, and there was that song...and that magazine ad on a storefront, the girl kind of looked like you, and that mannequin IN said store that had your legs--

Maybe he shouldn't have been surprised to hear himself bring you up after all, he realized, feeling slightly creepy about all the thoughts he'd been having. 

Elena looked interested. "Never talks? What, can't or is she just shy?" 

"Just shy, I think. I mean I've heard her make little noises, like laughs and stuff, so I know she CAN--" 

Elena hummed, amused. "Shy is cute." 

Cassie looked interested now too, and hopped up on the nearest kitchen stool to look at him. "You have a pretty pretty princess that you want to talk to, but she's really quiet?"

Sam laughed again. "Yes, actually. Surprising as this may be, Cassie, my super-powered charm doesn't seem to be enough this time, can you believe that?"

"No! No! Nooooo!" Cassie cried out in despair, clutching her uncle. "It CAN'T be your superpowers are failing! No," she decided, still clutching him "she must just be shy!!" 

"Okay, as cute as that is, you've GOT to stop telling Cassie you're a superhero," Elena said, but she was laughing a little as she spoke. 

Sam shook his head, picking Cassie up. "No way. I've got to accept my secret identity, Elena, and so do you." He and Cassie both smirked at her, and Elena giggled. "You two ARE ridiculously cute together."

A thought struck Sam then, and Elena's eyes narrowed as she saw his eyebrows go up deviously. "Sam..."

"Cassie, you want to help a superhero out with somethin'"? He asked abruptly, lowering her to the ground. Cassie nodded excitedly, while Elena frowned. 

"Sam..."

Sam knelt down to Cassie's level, ignoring Elena. "So the pretty princess is coming up the stairs soon, and you gotta get her in here for me, okay? Or at least get her to say hi to us or something. Okay?"

Cassie nodded. "Yes! Yes! I can do it!" 

"Atta girl. Mission Pretty Pretty Princess is a go." He gave her a little high five, and Cassie giggled and positioned herself near the front door, which Sam conveniently came over to and "left" open, glancing downstairs nervously to see if you were coming yet. This was a risky move...but he smirked at the thought of finally getting you to talk a little. And Cassie was right; you WERE a pretty pretty princess. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two minutes later, you were on your way up the stairs, lost in thought. There had been news about Syria playing in the office; someone had left the TV on, and you'd gotten a glance inadvertently while turning it off. Nope, you kept telling yourself. Stop thinking about them--stop THINKING ABOUT THEM--but they were there...--they were--

A high-pitched "Hi!" came from your left as you arrived at the correct landing, and an attractive little blond girl emerged like a rocket from Sam's open apartment. She stopped short just before arriving at your legs, which was good because you didn't know any children and had no idea what you'd do if she grabbed on. 

The girl beamed up at you, eyes big and happy, and you smiled back your usual little one. This was new, and awkward, and you weren't sure what to do--

"I'm Cassie," the girl said. 

Oh thank God, you thought. SHE was talking--

"That's my Uncle Sam," she pointed back to the apartment, where you saw Sam sheepishly lounging against the doorframe. He gave you a little wave and his usual smile, his eyes crinkling a little with it, and you gave him the wave back. His smile got bigger in response. 

"He says you're a princess and that you don't talk a lot," she blabbered cheerfully, and your gaze went between both of them, unsure how to respond. The smile on Sam's face was now surrounded by some red on his cheeks, and he stepped forward with a quick laugh. 

"aHEH, THANK YOU for that Cassie," he said to his niece, moving to be next to her and closer to you. He gestured down at her awkwardly. "Sorry, uh...like she said, Y/N this is Cassie, Cassie, Y/N." He gestured at you even more awkwardly, his hands waving in the air aimlessly. 

You smiled at him, bemused, and the girl Cassie tilted her head. "How come you don't talk a lot?" 

You shrugged. 

"Is silence your superpower?" 

That made you laugh--or, well, smile a big real normal-person smile and let out a little 'hm' kind of laugh-chuckle--but from the way Sam's eyes widened, you'd think you'd just walked on the moon. 

"Uh, YEAH, silence is EXACTLY her superpower," he said sardonically, his accent growing strong as he relaxed more and mocked you a little. You sensed that he was getting further into his normal sassy self, instead of whoever that nervous guy you'd just met was. His niece was clearly his groupie, and giving him encouragement. 

"My uncle's superpower is charm," she said proudly, and you laughed again in the same way. Sam spread out his arms. "Hey, come on Y/N, am I right? Cassie calls it like she sees it," he said matter-of-factly. 

You laughed at that and gave a bemused nod, then started to head to your own apartment just a few more feet away. There was some nice-looking woman in his kitchen hovering, you saw, and you gave her a tiny wave as you walked by. 

"Don't forget my uncle's charm!!!" Cassie hollered at you, cupping her hands around her mouth as if you were a mountain away. You laughed again as you unlocked your door, looking down at her, then looking up at her uncle--who was grinning at you like a cat who'd swallowed a canary--before going inside for the night. 

"High-five," Sam whispered, and Cassie gave him one as they both stared at your door. "She IS a pretty pretty princess" Cassie whispered back before they headed inside.


	2. Chapter 2

A few days later, Sam and Nathan were heading upstairs and into his apartment; Sully was stopping by soon, so they could go over some plans for an upcoming job, and they'd figured it would be better to meet here where Cassie couldn't overhear them. 

It was a Saturday, and you weren't much for the weekends; too much free time was also too much time to think, and you got bored and lonely and depressed rather easily (or at least you did lately; you hadn't used to...). So, you'd volunteered to help out at the museum even though it was a day off. Unfortunately, the museum was only open until noon today, so your attempt at killing time hadn't worked as well as you'd hoped. You figured you'd change into some more comfortable clothes and head down to the harbor, which was within walking distance, and just watch the waves go by. It beat sitting around in your apartment doing nothing...

As you were approaching the apartment building, Sam and Nathan were mock-arguing on top of the landing, too engaged in their argument to open the door. 

"Actually, if I remember correctly, YOU showed me the rope swing but then I ADDED the jump-around--"

"No way, little brother, that was all me! I taught you everything you know--"

"Mhm, keep telling yourself that Sam and I'll just keep the knowledge in my mind of who really invented it--"

You headed up the stairs, unable to see them around the corner until it was too late. Both guys stopped talking--the one you didn't recognize, who looked friendly, had been smiling but his mouth immediately turned into an "o" and his eyes widened as he stared. Sam, being more immune to your presence (at least in the usual tiny doses) instead smiled a really big smile and said "Heyyyyy! Y/N! How's it going." in his usual cocky tone, waving a cigarette. You gave him the usual smile, but glanced at the still-staring brother. Did you have a bird in your hair or something?, you wondered. 

Sam saw your glance and gently hit his brother with his hand, both still looking at you. "This is my little brother Nathan. Say hi, Nathan."

"H-hi..." Nathan croaked out, managing to turn his gape into a small sheepish smile and giving a little wave. That made you smile back a little, since it was so cute, and you did the same wave. Seeing the smile you'd just given Nathan, Sam felt the immediate urge to bring your focus back on him, and physically moved forward to be a little bit in front of Nate. He could see that it worked; his movement made your eyes go to him again and leave Nate behind. 

"Let me guess. Big earth-shattering plans today, huh." he said knowingly, his Boston accent coming out so thick and charming that you couldn't help your smile getting bigger. Seeing the positive response, Sam felt himself puffing up with pride. HE can talk to you in full sentences and make you smile big; his brother can't. That thought was making him puff up even more, and smirk a little as he lifted his cigarette. He'd noticed that the smoking didn't bother you; you didn't even seem to glance at it when he was doing it. Sam refused to quit, deflecting Nathan's request constantly, but the thought that it made him repulsive to some people--many people, in the normal world, actually--really really bothered and sometimes embarrassed him. He didn't want to repulse people, or smell like smoke--especially not if YOU didn't like it...

But you didn't seem to mind, and the first time he'd noticed that he'd practically sagged in relief. Actually, he'd gone into his apartment and fist-punched the air in excitement, too. Hypothetically. 

You gave a little half-shrug in response to his statement, still smiling, and started to move past. 

"What, you workin' today?" Sam asked, seeing your outfit as you passed him, and you turned back around a little. You gave a little nod, smiling ruefully, and he made a clicking sound with his tongue. "It's Saturday, haven't you heard the news? You're supposed to have FUN." 

You smiled again and brushed your long (H/C) hair back behind your ear delicately, Sam's bluster faltering just a little at that move, and went into your apartment with one more little wave. 

Sam stared after you, smiling thoughtfully and smoking his cigarette. Another interaction, he thought amusedly, with the pretty pretty princess. Progress. 

Nate, having recovered, looked on from behind Sam's shoulder between his brother's gaze and your door and back again before tapping his arm and nodding for them to go inside. Sam gave one last look at your door and smirked before doing it.

As soon as both brothers were inside and Sam shut the door, Nathan stepped further into the apartment and whispered "Jesus CHRIST she's hot!"

"Believe me, I noticed," Sam mumbled back--also quietly and huskily, as if you were listening--smoking his cigarette. 

"I mean, I'm impressed that you can even talk to her! I've never been as good at that. How can you just TALK to someone like that without even blushing or stuttering or anything? I mean, you didn't screw up at all!"

Sam gestured to himself proudly, preening a little at the praise. "What can I say, little brother, I'm the master. One of a kind."

Nate huffed, but grinned and sat down at the kitchen counter. "Yeah, OKAY. I'm gonna ask Sully how he does it too. Maybe we should put him with her and see if he can beat your record."

"What, for words?" Sam asked. "No way. I've already got a months-long-headstart on him."

"Ehhh, Sully's pretty smooth," Nate said, still grinning but speaking in a teasing tone. 

"Pfft. No he's not," Sam replied caustically, but he knew Sully was, and the thought of Sullivan being near you and flirting with you made him bristle. 

"Could be a fun contest--"

"Yeah RIGHT. Like I'm letting SULLIVAN get near her," Sam retorted, smoking again. Nate sensed that his brother was threatened by Sully, and let it go. 

"Seriously, Sam, how do you talk to her like that? That was so...normal. And she seemed to like you, even though she didn't say anything--"

Sam shrugged and sat down too with a sigh. "I don't know, Nathan, I can just...read her, I guess. Like, what she's saying with her eyes and her mouth and her face but without speaking. Plus it's not like she's...snobby or HAUGHTY or anything, it's just that she doesn't happen to talk a whole lot. And I" he gestured to himself again "DO talk a lot. So it works out perfectly." 

"You do talk a lot," Nathan mused. "Actually, we all do come to think of it. Hey!" He snapped his fingers. "She should come to the party! Have you invited her to any before?"

"No, because I can never find her when we're having them. I knock, but she's not there."

"Well, keep trying. I bet she'd like us. Especially because if she's quiet, she can just sit and watch the rest of us be crazy." They both laughed, and Sam's eyes narrowed in thought as he took another pull on his cigarette. "You know that's actually a good idea, little brother."

"I have my moments," Nate said. He'd considered saying that he wasn't just a pretty face, and mentioning how she'd seemed to like HIM too, but he remembered Sam getting riled from the mention of Sullivan and figured he probably shouldn't tease him again. Sam didn't seem to think flirtations with you were very funny--unless, of course, they were from him.


	3. Chapter 3

Six hours later, the boys were done talking about the job for a while--or, at least, while Nathan and Sullivan went to get takeout for dinner and bring it back. Sam had gotten a bit tense before Sully arrived, since Nate's comments had reminded him that he really did have something to worry about if the older man started flirting, and he'd not-so-casually waited in the foyer to make sure Sully made it into the apartment without you being spotted--or, if you did, to head Sully off and hustle him away before he could sink his hooks in with charm. Of course, when Sully had asked why he was getting "the royal treatment", Sam had just smoothly said "What, I can't welcome the belle of the ball, Victor?" and led him upstairs.

Sully was no fool, and didn't fall for it for a second; the moment he and Nate got outside to get food and started walking, he said "So what the hell's going on with Sam, huh?"

Nate laughed; he'd managed to keep himself from teasing Sam when he'd gone down to wait for Sully, and he knew Sam had appreciated it, but it had been kind of funny. Or, endearing maybe. 

"He's got a girl he likes in the building, and I think he doesn't want you to meet her."

Sully huffed, surprised, and lifted his cigar to his mouth. "SAM doesn't want me to meet her? So he's admitting that I'm more charming than he is!" 

Nate laughed again. "Yeah, well, don't give him a hard time about it. I don't want him to get defensive and start acting like an asshole in front of her, and you know he totally will if we make him feel embarrassed." 

"Understood." Seeing Nate's skeptical and uncharacteristically-concerned look, Sully groaned. "I WON'T, Nate. So who is this lovely lady? Have you met her?"

Nate smirked. "Yes, I have as a matter of fact. And yes, if you met her you would probably be trying to get it in too." Sully laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Reaaaallly."

"But you're NOT going to, RIGHT Sully?" Nate said sternly, still smiling a little. 

Sully grumbled. "Well I haven't met her yet, so no promises. But yeah, if Sam really likes her I'll rein my gorgeously irresistible self in. Maybe," he added as an afterthought. Nate smacked his arm jokingly as they kept walking. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Sam was having his second (or was it third?) Scotch drink that he'd just poured for himself, convinced that he needed the shot of liquid courage. He knew you were still home, because he hadn't heard any door sounds--not that he listened for them THAT much, anyway--

Your door opened, and he literally jumped where he was standing, the last of the drink sloshing in its glass. He stared at his own door as if it was going to be kicked open, then muttered "Ah, fuck it" and downed the rest. He'd be feeling these three drinks later--as in, in about ten minutes--but for now he just had the initial buzz that should be enough. He definitely didn't want to be DRUNK in front of you; all he needed was thirty seconds...

He bolted out of his door to catch you before he could change his mind. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were almost down to the foyer when you heard someone yelling "Y/N Y/N Y/N" really fast behind you, loudly and in a friendly Boston accent. Knowing who it was, but surprised by the volume--and by the rapid pace--you turned around, eyebrows raised and questioning. You'd expected him to be behind you on the stairs, but instead he was literally vaulting himself over the landing's railing to jump down below. He landed right in front of you, bent down in what distinctly reminded you of those superhero landings you'd occasionally seen in movies, and straightened with a smile and little "Whew. Well, that was fun." He saw your impressed smile getting bigger, but didn't seem to dwell on it, instead broadening his shoulders and taking in a bracing breath like he had a speech to give. He practically panted out the words. 

"Next Saturday night. Party at my place. Lots of people, you can literally just listen. You're coming." He pointed at you, his voice teasingly firm, consciously blocking your way out the front door. When you didn't say anything, Sam relied on the liquor-induced courage to keep him from begging, instead just keeping a firm look on his face and still pointing at you. He re-pointed, since you still hadn't spoke, his finger close to your chest. 

Bemused by his behavior, and still impressed by his entrance--not to mention enticed by the idea--you nodded with a smile. His face completely changed, melting into an earnest grin, and he said "Really? You're gonna come." It was still a question, and you nodded again, doing another smile-laugh. He beamed at that, and stepped back for a second, raising his hands like he wanted to jump up and down. "Hooooly SHI--" he collected himself rapidly "I-MHM" he coughed "see you then. I'm not gonna forget," he said warningly, stepping towards the stairs (even though he really wanted to still be close to you) and pointing, switching back from the nervous little boy to the man with bravado again. "I mean it, don't let me down Y/N."

You smiled and nodded again, and let out the closest sound you'd ever really made to a giggle, and for a second Sam looked like he was actually going to fall down. He'd never heard you make a sound like that... 

 

For the rest of the night, Sam proceeded to be the most jocular and relaxed Sully had ever seen him. Drinks were flowing, jokes were being made, and the man was downright giddy. Sully was a little perplexed, but Nathan was watching his brother's excitement closely and grinning to himself through his Scotch. Sully might not have known what was going on with Nate's big brother, but HE had a strong hunch.


	4. Chapter 4

Since the boys had actually planned so much for their next job, it was finished in less than one week--meaning Sam was back and ready to start obsessively worrying about his party sooner than he expected. And he wasn't handling all of that extra time very well. 

"What if she doesn't like it?" Sam asked Nate nervously, actually looked worried while they hung out in his apartment on Friday. Rafe was coming over soon, and Sully would be after he'd recovered a little more from the late-night flights of the trip (being the actual pilot, he didn't get much sleep). Once they arrived, Nate and Elena were going out--and Sam wanted to get his venting out with his brother before Rafe and Sully showed up and he started acting like he didn't care. 

As usual, Nate was perfect when it came to calming his big brother down. Sam was smart, and oftentimes more down-to-earth (while Nate was often inclined to be distracted by things like lemurs and butterflies and sunshine), but he also had a temper and had a hard time expressing his feelings. On occasions like this one, Nate's soft-hearted optimism and (oftentimes-underestimated) intelligence made him a wonderful advice-giver--and where Sam was bound by pride and machismo, Nathan wasn't. Sam knew it did him good to have his brother around, because he probably wouldn't talk about his real feelings and worries EVER if Nate wasn't there.

Now, Sam paced all over his living room floor while Nathan sat on a kitchen chair, bent over his drink and watching his brother's frenetic behavior affectionately. 

"Sam, she won't," he said, voice relaxed and cheerful. He'd noticed long ago that comforting Sam was a lot like soothing a panicked animal. You just had to keep your own body calm and give off nothing but easy, happy vibes, and ride it out. Eventually--even if it took hours--the balm-like influence always had an effect. It was just a matter of time and patience. He'd stay unshakably calm and positive even if it took him all night to reach his brother. and was happy to do it. 

"But what if she DOES?" Sam asked, accent coming out thick in his stress. His hands went up in the air as he spoke; Sam always talked with his hands, but they flew around like exasperated birds when he was excited or upset. "She might not come to one again if she doesn't, Nate--"

Nate smiled, looking up at his brother. "Sam, you said yourself that she's a nice girl. If she was mean or snobby or something, instead of just being someone nice but quiet, then yeah, maybe she wouldn't like our parties. But she's not. She's nice, and smart, AND she thinks you're funny." "Pfft," Sam scoffed quietly "I AM funny." "-Plus we're not exactly a difficult bunch--I mean, Rafe is, but you know he can also toe the line when he's supposed to. Underneath that fancy shirt he's actually got a heart, and he won't do anything to freak her out. Nobody will. Hell, Elena will be there too, and she can make people more comfortable than anyone else I know!" 

Sam's shoulders relaxed a little at that; he nodded, more to himself, and started smoking a cigarette. "Yeah, yeah you're right." 

There was a silence for a moment; Nate knew his brother wasn't done speaking, and waited patiently. 

The next sentence was quiet, Sam looking down at the ground and shifting in place. It came out between quick puffs of the cigarette. "I just...I want her to have fun. You know, with me," he added plaintively, voice getting higher and cracking a little as he stared at the carpet with a half-hearted shrug. 

Nate smiled again and stood up to put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "I know."

More silence; Sam was still looking down. God, he wished tomorrow would come faster. 

"Sam, you know, you're not alone in this," Nate said, and Sam looked up at that, focus moving to his brother's face. Nate was smiling at him affectionately, looking calm and wise as could be, and he gripped the back of Sam's neck bracingly for a second before lifting both hands to make his point. 

"Remember how nervous I was with Elena?" Sam nodded, and Nate continued. "And how excited I was when I finally got her?" Sam nodded again with a little smile. 

Nate stepped closer, face earnest. He would have been happy to go through the memories, but now his brother needed him. "Well it was EASIER for me, and you remember all that, because I actually TALK about my feelings. You DON'T, and--" he brushed past that quickly, knowing this conversation was already getting more Hallmark-card than Sam could take "in our line of work, we're also surrounded by guys who make you think it's not manly or macho or whatever to talk about that stuff. Sully and Rafe are like that too, most of the time, even though they don't mean to be, so believe me, I GET not wanting to talk to them about how much you like somebody. It's weird for LOTS of guys. But Sam, see you have ME." He gestured to himself adorably, Sam staring at his brother and getting a little emotional. "And I, your little brother, am right here to help you ALL the time. Okay? So if you want to talk about how worried you are about her, or how excited you are about something she said, or if you need help figuring out what to say or do or literally ANYTHING, I'm here. Judgement-free zone, COMPLETELY." He held up his hands in mock surrender with a little laugh. "Seriously, Sam, anything. You don't have to go through all this stress and happiness and stuff by yourself, you can put it all on me. Okay?"

Sam grinned at his brother, and pulled him in for a hug. "You're one hell of a little brother, you know that?"

Nate laughed and nodded over his shoulder. "Yeah, brother of the year. They never send me my trophies though." 

Sam laughed back and they separated. Nate gave him an affectionate little slap with his hand on his chest. "So what else do you want to obsessively worry about?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So think Sam's prison outfit--same material and everything--but in darker greens!
> 
> I use these color wheel rules for makeup all the time and let me tell you, it works. :)

Sam let out a breath and ran his hand through his hair, looking around the room, excited to play Nathan's game and feeling better despite himself. 

"Whewwww, well, what about drinks? What if she doesn't drink?" 

"Then we'll give her water." Nate was grinning broadly. 

"Okayyy....what about food? I mean, we don't exactly go in for antipasti over here."

"It's mozzarella sticks. Everyone loves mozzarella sticks." 

"What if she has allergies?"

"Then she'll keep it to herself, and just politely eat only what she knows she can have. Sam, she's OUR age. I'm sure she's been to a party before," he said with a little laugh,

"Okay..." Sam let out a big sigh. "What about our...jobs? Nathan, what if she wants to know what we do." He looked more worried at that one. 

Nate smirked. "She doesn't talk, Sam. I've got a very very strong hunch that she won't ask us anything, and she'll just sit and listen and laugh. Easy. Oh, and don't forget--" he held up a finger, remembering "Chloe's a total ham. I've got a feeling Y/N is going to LOVE her."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You've got a lot of hunches today."

Nate shrugged. "Quiet, grumpy people are no fun--but quiet, friendly people actually really, really like talkative party animals. It relaxes them, since they don't have to do anything. All the pressure's off." 

Sam squinted at him in mock suspicion. "You sure you didn't secretly go to school for psychology or somethin' while I was sleepin'?"

Nate laughed and held up his hands in surrender, sitting back down and reaching for his drink. "I just pay attention!"

Sam let out a "hm", impressed. "Okay, so what else?"

"Well, you got a haircut recently, so that's good," Nate said, "and your place looks nice--"

"Jesus CHRIST Nathan!" Sam suddenly blurted, sounding so much like a melodramatic diva that Nathan only just managed to control himself and not laugh. "What am I going to WEAR?!"

Nate couldn't resist it, and did let out one little laugh, but he covered it quickly by standing up and moving towards Sam's bedroom. "Well, let's see. Good call."

As they stepped inside, Nate said "so what were you GONNA wear?" 

Sam shrugged, looking less stressed now that they were doing something about it. "I mean, I don't know," he said defensively, sounding like a petulant teenager now "I guess...just normal...clothes?"

Nate looked thoughtful and nodded as he went to the closet. "Okay, well fortunately for YOU, you have me. And I," he reached through the racks "have Elena."

Sam stepped up behind him, interested. "What're you talking about?" he asked, looking as serious as if they were working on a treasure hunt and trying to solve a puzzle. 

"You know the color wheel?" Sam nodded. "Yeah..."

Nate went through more clothes. "Well, as it turns out, and as my lovely wife has explained to me, colors that are opposite on the color wheel are the ones that look best with each other. They make each other stand out," he explained, turning back to gesture to Sam before going back into the closet. "So...here. Green!" 

He held up a dark green fitted V-neck shirt and a thin, lighter green short-sleeved button-up to go over it. "Leave it unbuttoned, just casual, and wear jeans" Nate said as an afterthought, and handed it to Sam. Sam looked down at the shirts, curious and intrigued.

"Nathan, I still don't get it. So green because...?"

"Your eyes," Nate said patiently, sitting on the bed with a pleased and proud little huff. "I've got blue eyes, and red is opposite, which is why when I wear red my eyes look really blue. And Chloe wears purple when she dresses up for stuff, because her eyes are dark brown, and that's opposite...You" he pointed to Sam "have hazel eyes. So green will make them look, like, crazy cool." 

Sam looked pleased. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Nate beamed, just like he used to when they were kids. 

Feeling flattered, Sam fingered the clothes and said "Huh. How 'bout that. You really are smart, little brother," he said, ruffling Nathan's head like he used to. Nate laughed. "Hey, for once it's not me, it's Elena. Turns out like everyone in the world knows this except us. Maybe even Rafe."

"I'm gonna ask him if he does," Sam smirked mischievously, and Nate could see it now. Sam would ask, and if Rafe hadn't, then he'd pawn it off as his own fancy player-knowledge to make Rafe feel inferior. Typical. 

Nate kind of wished he could watch it. 

"Hey, wait to make fun of him for it until I'm there, okay? I wanna be a witness," he said, getting up off the bed to go. 

Sam nodded with a faux-reluctant groan. "Fineeee, Nathan, I will. And hey," he gave him an affectionate pat "thanks for helping."

"Anytime, Sam. Really." Nate winked and headed out. "Have fun tonight."

Sam laughed, and looked at the clothes with a chuckle. I'll be damned, he thought, my brother's got fashion sense. 

Then one more thought came to him, and he ran to the front door. 

"Wait, NATE! What about shoes?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'Widowmaker' is a dark term that I remember hearing from Rosie O'Donnell's description of the sneaky symptoms of women's heart attacks (they're surprising, so please read and hopefully pass it on! Rosie's got a great acronym to help remember them, too! https://www.prevention.com/health/a20433489/rosie-odonnell-heart-attack-7-heart-attack-symptoms/ ) Since the term seemed appropriate for cruel and vicious killers, I'm using it even though this story doesn't actually have anything to do with that. :)

You were walking home from work Friday evening; Syria had been all over the news again, and things were getting worse, but you found refuge in the fact that you had an actual party to go to tomorrow night. It had been many, months since you'd been to a party; the last one had been an auction, at a place called the Rossi Estate a couple years ago in Italy. You'd had fun, you remembered...you'd been with your sisters...and you'd run into an old friend by the name of Victor Sullivan, an old man that you were very fond of. The four of you had made small talk, your sisters doing most of the talking while you and Sully drank and smiled, but it had been you who'd cut off the conversation. This was partly because you had the feeling that Sully was distracted and had somewhere to be, and partly because you knew that he was very scared of your siblings. But then again, everyone was. He'd left with a grateful smile to you and a wink, both of which your sisters fortunately hadn't seen. 

Half an hour later, there'd been a robbery of a cross and the place had gone up into a flurry of evacuations and gunfire. You'd gotten hit somewhere along the way on your arm, and still had a scar from it, but you hadn't really been bothered; you'd had worse, and it was worth taking a bullet for Sully. Your sisters had been pissed off, since they'd been enjoying themselves and now had to leave--but you had no real doubt that the robbery was Sully's doing, and watched out the rearview window as you left, your arm bloody, hoping he was okay. 

You hadn't heard any bad news about Sully; you still kept up with contacts, since--being a normal, nice, easygoing human--you'd actually made lots of friends on your jobs, and they still wanted to talk to you (preferably without your sisters). No news about Sully was good news, you figured; you really liked that man. A thought struck you as you walked, and your steps slowed a little as you neared the apartment. If you wanted to get back in the game, Sully would be a great start; and as long as you never competed on a job with your sisters, there shouldn't be any problems...

Maybe you could actually do it, you thought to yourself as you entered your apartment--distantly hearing laughter in Sam's apartment next door--and prepared to take a shower. Maybe you could.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sully, what's the matter?" Chloe was asking Sully as you walked by and went into your apartment. Sam looked up at the older man; Nadine and Chloe had gotten in early to tag along, and they'd all been having a good time, alternating shop-talk with funny stories and industry gossip. But Victor had been much more restrained than he usually was. 

"Something on your mind, dear?" Sam asked sardonically, although he really was a little concerned. Not that he'd admit it; it had taken the two of them a long time to become close friends, but still neither would acknowledge it directly. 

Sully sighed and fingered his cigar, looking down at the table. "Eh, just got some bad news recently." He glanced up to see the other four, even Rafe, looking attentive.

"You remember the Widowmakers?"

Chloe's eyes widened, and Nadine straightened, and Rafe paled and said "Sully, what the HELL are you doing with the WIDOWMAKERS?"

Sam was fully perked now. "Sorry...who are the 'Widowmakers'?" he made quotation marks in the air, looking between the others' faces. 

Chloe looked more somber than Sam had ever seen her as she answered. "They're these sisters, in our line of work. NASTY people to be around. Seriously, Sam--" she looked at him grimly, shaking her head "DON'T fuck with them." 

"Even I know they're crazy," Nadine said quietly, and Sam glanced at her. "So, wait, why do ALL of you know who these girls are and I don't?"

"They've been in Syria for a few years now," Chloe said, and Sam gaped. "What, TREASURE HUNTING? THERE? I thought everyone in this business had an understanding that it was suicide to go there now."

Chloe was already nodding "YES, but these girls are crazy. Like, REALLY crazy Sam. Castrate you just for looking at their pastry in a restaurant kind of crazy." Sam, Sully, and Rafe all winced. 

"Jesus," Sam whispered, extremely disturbed by the idea. 

"If you can avoid them, do it," Sully said. "They're too dangerous to be around. And cruel, too. Innocents are nothing but chump change to them; if a kid's in the way, he's gonna die."

"Holy shit," Sam cursed, sitting back in his chair. "Just how fucked up ARE these girls?"

"Bad," Rafe murmured, looking at the table, "fucked up bad." 

Sensing that none of them wanted to talk more, but needing the information, Sam continued quietly--as if these girls were monsters hiding in a closet nearby. "So have any of you met them? Who should I be looking out for here?"

"I saw them once," Chloe said, voice low. "Well, two of them. And unfortunately it was the bad ones, across the room at a party. I got the hell out of there the second they showed up. It was like vampires coming to a party; everyone just got quiet and nervous the whole time, and cringed when it was their turn to be the focus."

"I haven't met them," Rafe said, and Nadine added "me neither."

"You said 'the bad ones'," Sam asked. "What do you mean?"

"One of them is nice," Sully cut in with a grumble. "If you see the (your H/C) one, you're safe. She'll protect you from the other girls, the (other hair colors), who are the REAL bad news, and she's perfectly normal and lovely. Unfair for her to be saddled with two psychopathic siblings to always try to control, though." 

"Yeah, that's too bad," Chloe murmured. 

"Okay, so (H/C) equals good, (other hair colors) equal bad," Sam summarized, sipping his drink thoughtfully. "And so you've worked with them or somethin', Sully?"

"Yeah," Sully said quietly. "I know them quite a bit, actually. At least, the nice one." 

"You said there was bad news," Nadine said. "What happened?" 

"They're not coming back, are they?" Rafe looked freaked out. "Out of Syria?"

"No, or at least I don't think so," Sully said seriously. "But the plan that the nice one and I had developed to, ah, keep them 'contained'... isn't working anymore. They're on the loose now, or will be soon." 

"Wait, what?" Sam shook his hands in the air. "Back up. You've been WORKING with the nice one to keep the others contained?!"

Sully nodded. "And things are going to shit. And soon they'll be out." 

"Goddamnit." Rafe swore. "That's bad, Victor."

"Yes," Sully sighed. "Yes it is." 

"So what can be done?" Nadine asked, all business. She preferred to solve problems head-on, and deal with the emotional and analytical portions later. "Is there a way to stop them?"

"Well, I'm thinking that the best approach is to use their sister again. They love her, in their own messed-up way, and they still trust her even though she doesn't work with them anymore. In fact, she left the business behind. Trying to have a normal life, live quietly and mind her own business. But this, " he said quietly "unfortunately IS her business. So I'm going to track her down and drag her back out." 

"Wait, you're going to force her back into danger?" Chloe asked, frowning. "That doesn't seem very..."

"Ethical? Moral? Nice?" Sully laughed grimly. "Believe me, I know. And I love that girl, so I feel bad about it. Really, I do. But she's probably going to decide to join me anyway. She's a smart one, and she'll know that the only way to control them is her. In fact, she's probably already figured that out--because you'd better believe she's watching, and keeping a close eye on what happens in Syria."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	7. Chapter 7

The next day Sam had completely forgotten about the discussion from last night; now, his mind was on nothing but the party and you. It was only in a couple of hours--Nathan had made him go for a long, hard workout all morning, knowing that it would help ease the tension, and now Sam did indeed feel a little better. Not to mention he felt like his abs and arms were rock-solid; he'd preened a little at that, noticing his own muscles. Nathan seemed to be more of a leg and shoulders man, and excelled at acrobatic combat kicks, while Sam leaned more towards hooks and punches and throws, making his arms and torso his strengths. So what if he had a tendency for skipping leg day; he figured all of the jumping and running was enough, and besides, he didn't really like doing it, just like Nathan didn't really like shadow boxing as a workout. There was also a pool down on the lowest floor of the apartment building, and he figured sometime he might use it. Swimming was good for legs, right? 

Nathan had also helped Sam further when he mentioned that Cassie had been continuously telling him to remind her Uncle Sammy of his superpowers, and to keep practicing them so they'd stay strong and wouldn't fade in front of the pretty pretty princess. Which he thought was rather cute, and which Nate thought was hilarious.

Now, Nathan and Rafe were in the living room, talking, while Sam got ready. He'd tried on the clothes right before bed last night--feeling a little ridiculous, and being grateful that there were no witnesses--and Nathan was right; it looked good. HE looked good. His eyes looked like they had more flecks of gold in them, nestled within the brown, and he kept stopping by the mirrors--any mirrors--to admire himself, thinking 'Holy shit, my eyes actually look really cool!'. 'Okay', he thought, 'maybe I should just wear green all the time now. Especially if Y/N likes it.' 

His chest puffed a little at that idea, at the idea of having something that pleased you. If you liked him in green, he would never stop wearing green. Not to mention the fact that HE liked it on himself, too. 

As he was moving in the part of his bedroom closer to the living room, he started overhearing Nate and Rafe's conversation. 

"So who else is coming tonight?" Rafe asked, poking around near the fireplace. Rafe had been cocky and insouciant when they first met--and they had definitely had their share of competition on jobs--but once he let himself relax and get close enough to the people he now called 'friends', he was actually a bit more like a little boy in an endearing way. Always puttering around, fiddling with things, exploring his surroundings as curiously as a cat, never really staying still. Nate thought there was more to it than that; charming as it was, Rafe seemed incapable of really staying still for a while. That was why he didn't have a girlfriend, either; he wasn't done with sleeping around. But Nate, ever-perceptive, sensed that Rafe actually really wanted someone to "stay" with. He was a young guy, just like them, but he seemed sad. Sad, and desperate for love and affection. Too bad he was such an asshole on the outside to hinder it, Nate and Sam both often thought.

Now, Nate tried to keep his voice casual, not wanting to bring you up but seeing no option not to. "Oh, the usual gang. Sully's not coming tonight, but everybody else is. And Sam's got a neighbor he invited." He said it very lightly, but Rafe's eyes and body and ears immediately pricked despite the attempt. 

He turned slowly, eyes narrowing and smirk growing. "Neighbor? Sam invited a GIRL?" 

"I didn't say it was a girl!" Nate said, but Rafe was already starting to hum deviously, crossing his arms and giving Nathan an appraising look. "Is she hot?" he said knowingly, just as Sam got close enough in his room to start overhearing. "There's no way Sam wouldn't tell me unless she was hot." 

"Hey, she's OFF-LIMITS," Nate said firmly, standing up and closing the distance to Rafe a little. His posture wasn't threatening yet, but it was getting close. As Sam was stepping out into the living room, hackles raising, Nate said--seeing his brother arrive behind Rafe, and gesturing towards him "And Sam and I will BOTH kick your ass if you try to go after her. Got it?" 

Rafe turned to see Sam behind him, and put up his hands in mock surrender. Sam looked like thunder. "Whoaaaa, Sam, take it easy," he said smoothly, laughing a little but showing some nerves in the line of his eyes. "I was just asking about your hot date for tonight--"

Sam literally broadened his shoulders, standing up straighter and posturing in the way that only a well-muscled, confident-in-his-own-body-kind-of-man could. "I'm warning you, Rafe," he said, his voice low and his accent strong. Rafe clearly picked up on the now-more-serious threat, and backed off, his own body getting a little smaller as he stepped back, the hands now up in less-mocking surrender. 

"All RIGHT," he said, a little irritated. "Jesus, Sam, don't sweat it. I was only asking." Then his inner asshole came out again, despite himself as it often did, and Sam knew it was coming the second he saw the smirk. "Just because I've got more game than you--"

Nate, fortunately, saw something coming too, and blocked his brother's punch before it could hit Rafe and start a real fight. He stepped in between them quickly, trying to calm his brother down. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, Sam, you want bruises before tonight? Come on," he said, gently patting Sam's chest and shoulders companionably. "You can help me get bags of food from the car. I forgot a couple." (He hadn't.) "Rafe can hold down the fort, right Rafe?" He looked back at the smaller man behind him, who looked pissed but cooperative, and made a calming gesture towards him too. Before either man could respond, Nate was already hustling Sam out the door--and, seeing that his older brother was still glaring at Rafe, he figured he hadn't been a moment too soon.

Outside, Sam grumbled "What food did you forget?" 

Nate laughed a little. "Nothing, Sam," he said, smiling. "But I figured I should at least get some distance between you and Rafe! Sam," he said gently, as if explaining a moral lesson to a child "most girls don't really like it when guys fist-fight over them. Really, they DON'T!" he continued, as Sam rolled his eyes and turned away for a second in exasperation. "And, look--I know Rafe's an ass, but he always is, and it's not worth fighting him over something you ACTUALLY care about when if you wanted, you could fight him over literally dozens of other things. Hell, you could fight him over paper versus cloth NAPKINS if you wanted." They both laughed a little at that, and Nate could see Sam relaxing. 

But he wasn't relaxing enough; the tension in his shoulders was not unlike that of a panther, and Nate knew that Sam wasn't going to be letting up against Rafe about this anytime soon. So he sighed, and chose a different approach. "Look, just call me over whenever you've got to step away from Y/N for a second, okay, and I'll come over and hold your spot with her until you get back! All night, all right? I won't leave her alone." He patted Sam's chest with the back of his hand cheerfully. Sam let out a little huff, and a real smile came out. "Thanks, little brother." 

Nate grinned back. "Come on, let's go back. I'll keep Rafe from making any moves. And hey!" he gestured to Sam's clothes as they went "the green DOES look good on you!"


	8. Chapter 8

A couple hours later--during which Sam had done even more crunches, and Nathan had alternated between cooking and calming his brother down--you were in your own apartment, doing your hair. Or, well, what you were actually doing was nervously twirling your hair around your finger, while you sat hunched over on an ottoman and watched the news. 

"Recent explosions in Syria continue to challenge investigators as they expand into more populated areas. Investigators say that the explosions seem to be some new type of explosive, one that experts are unfamiliar with--and one that causes serious damage. So far there have been no fatalities, but as the explosions seem to be moving further towards towns, many fear that that good fortune will change."

You knew EXACTLY what those explosions were. 

Goddammit, Crystal, you thought to yourself, sighing and letting go of the little curl you'd made with your finger. Crystal was, like your other sister Ruby, very very intelligent--and her particular expertise focused on explosives. SHE'D invented that explosive that those investigators were so befuddled about, and she was literally blowing them up now out of boredom. Your sisters were incredibly smart and talented at what they did, but when it came to the high that was treasure finding, they both became as immature and violent as two Tasmanian devils. They were growing too restless in Syria, and starting to branch out as a way of venting their frustrations--and you could only hope that it was because the treasure was difficult to find, not because they'd figured out what you and Sully had done. 

The clock chimed, and you jumped in place. Oh. Right. A party.

Feeling a little cheered at that, you stood up, stretching, and rearranged your hair and clothes. You were wearing a lovely little burgundy lace cocktail dress and high heels, your hair half up and half down, with just a little bit of curl in it from your twirling. Circling once in the mirror to make sure nothing looked out of place, you gave a satisfactory little hum to yourself and headed towards the door--reaching for the Scotch you'd bought in the process. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Nathan, she's not here yet..." Sam muttered in a low sing-song tone, loitering in the kitchen while the others were all relaxing in the living room and on the outer balcony. Everyone else had already been here for a little while--he'd debated long and hard about whether or not to knock sometime in the past couple of days and tell you a specific time, but Nathan had convinced him that it'd be better to just let you show up whenever you wanted to show up. IF you showed up, Sam thought, and felt a jolt in his chest--

Nathan chuckled and gave his brother a bracing squeeze. "She'll be here, Sam. Don't worry." 

"Goddamn it," Sam swore, and grabbed his brother's drink and took a swig. Normally Nate would've chastised him--especially because this drink was particularly strong--but he figured Sam could use a little relaxer right about now. 

There was a very light knock on the door then, and if Sam's ears hadn't been hyper-consciously pricked he might not have heard it. 

But he did hear it, and opened the door so quickly that your hand was literally still poised in the air from knocking. Now it just looked like you were about to rap him on his forehead.

You gave a little smile in greeting and a little laugh as you lowered your hand, and Sam grinned at you as if you were made of diamonds. He looked downright ecstatic to see you, and you couldn't help your own smile's growth in response. Which of course only made his get bigger, and then yours, and then his--

"Hi, come on in!" Sam's brother, Nathan you remembered, stepped forward from where he'd been standing a little behind Sam and held out his hand. You took it, shaking politely and grinning sweetly, and that immediately made Sam snap out of his gleeful daze to step up to the plate and make you forget about his sibling. 

"Heyyyy, you brought Scotch!" Sam said, that charming accent immediately winning you over as usual. You held out the bottle--you'd sprung for a fancy kind, although you'd had to ask for help in the store (quietly, of course) since drinking wasn't really your thing--and he took it with one hand, reaching with the other to guide you in and simultaneously put his arm around your shoulder in an obvious gesture of possession. You find you didn't mind one bit--although you weren't really used to being touched by people, at least other than your sisters, and so his touch was an extremely novel sensation. 

Fortunately, Sam's drink was starting to kick in a little--just the right amount--and he could feel his confidence and relaxation growing. Thank goodness, he vaguely thought, for alcohol. He could actually still be his normal self around you. 

"Guys, Scotch is here!" he called out as he brought you in with him, still clearly holding you close to his side and waving the bottle around with the other in jubilation. "Hey, how'd you know I like Scotch, huh?" he asked, squeezing you tightly for a second as he looked at you, speaking low as if it was a secret just between the two of you. You gave your usual half-shrug and smile, making your body move under his one-armed grip, and Sam grinned mischievously, loving the feeling. THIS, this was better than alcohol, he decided. And he was so excited that he'd been brave enough to put his arm around you, and so excited NOW that you were still letting him. The thought only made his grin grow bigger and bigger. 

Nathan was on your left, and held up a platter of mozzarella sticks as you walked by, and you took one sweetly, smiling at him in genuine thanks. You loved mozzarella sticks. There were a few people outside, you saw, but the two that were in here were that friendly-looking blonde woman and a slight, but muscular, little brunette man. You could see his well-coiffed hair and tailored shoes from here. 

Both of them stepped close immediately to meet you and Sam as you crossed into the living room, and Sam handed the Scotch over to the guy. The first to say hi was the woman. "Hi! Scotch, was it?" she joked, and all five of you laughed. It was clear that alcohol was already going around, and there was faint music thumping on the balcony, so the laughs were all very relaxed. 

Sam looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Ha, whoops, guys this is Y/N, Y/N, this is Nate's wife Elena and our friend Rafe."

You stopped cold for a second when you saw who that was. The lighting hadn't been great initially, but now that you saw him--oh, you knew EXACTLY who Rafe Adler was. And you knew what he did, too. 

Rafe, missing nothing, smoothly held out his hand and quirked an eyebrow. "Ahh, I take it you know me."

You nodded, face still friendly (thankfully), and shook his hand as elegantly as you could muster. Elena, Nate, and Sam all stared at you, thrown. You could feel Sam's eyes--they were particularly golden tonight, you'd noticed.

"You guys met?" Sam asked, voice a little tight, and you actually felt his arm muscles flex around you. Clearly he was NOT happy about the idea of a previous relationship with Rafe. 

You shook your head no quickly, and felt the arm settle further down around you like a warm blanket. You swore you could actually feel Sam's chest deflating a little, too. 

But Rafe didn't look like he would be letting up. "Well, I'm flattered. You read about me or somethin'?" 

You nodded, and quietly said "Forbes," knowing he'd know what you were talking about. Everyone there did; Rafe had preened for weeks when he'd been put on Forbes' 30 under 30. And his good looks meant that it had been on TV, too. 

Rafe puffed up a little, and so did Sam--albeit in another way--but Nathan managed to discreetly slide himself between the two of them, breaking their focus on each other by default. He gently pulled Sam's arm. "Come on, Y/N has gotta meet Nadine and Chloe!"

"Rafe, let's open that Scotch," Elena said helpfully, in her typical calm fashion, and the lure of alcohol worked. Rafe raised an eyebrow sardonically, moving towards the kitchen, and said "Drinking Scotch, Elena? Well, look at you." Fortunately, Nathan knew that Rafe actually had a surprising regard for marriage vows, so he never worried. Elena shrugged as they went, cheerfully saying "Eh, might as well try it."

Sam was still cuddling you as you reached the balcony, and popped his head outside. "Hey ladies, this is my neighbor Y/N!"

A beautiful Indian woman and a beautiful African one turned around from the railing slowly.

The Indian woman was finishing saying something. "And so then I--" she literally stumbled in her tracks when she saw you, her eyes widening, and her accent dragged as she involuntarily said "HooOoly SHIT you're pretty." 

You looked at her, eyebrows going up, unsure what to say, and you felt Sam cough next to you awkwardly. The woman was already speaking again quickly, and you sensed both the other woman and Sam rising up to cut her off "I mean, Sam SAID you were pretty, but--" 

"Prettyyyyyyy QUIET, is what I said," Sam quickly and smoothly interrupted, speaking louder and literally moving in front of you to block your view of the woman, as if that would keep you from hearing her. He was visibly blushing now, and his hands were awkwardly going again in the air as he tried to defend himself to you feebly. "I--I said pretty QUIET."

You saw the other woman elbowing the first, who loudly said "What? She is!" wirh a good-natured shrug. "You're not single and ready to mingle, are you love?" She asked hopefully, and Sam and the other woman's--Nadine's, you presumed--eyes both widened. 

Fortunately, you laughed, a little embarrassed by the attention but liking this girl anyway. The woman beamed and held out her hand, as forthright as a cheerful child. "I'm Chloe. And I suppose I shouldn't ask you such things in front of my girlfriend Nadine here." 

Nadine laughed, fortunately; you saw from her build that she was a fighter--and since you'd see Rafe Adler here, you were now absolutely certain that none of these guests were exactly as they seemed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The town's name is from Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness!

"It's actually gotten a bit chilly out here," Nadine said smoothly after shaking your hand. "We were just about to head inside, how about you two?" 

"WELL," Sam said dramatically, squeezing you again in triumph "Y/N here has brought us some elite-level Scotch." 

Chloe gasped. "No way! Really?" 

You nodded, laughing, as she bolted inside. The three of you followed a little more slowly--and only a moment later, you heard a "Hey!" from Rafe and then Chloe was right back in front of you, holding the Scotch and some glasses with a mischievous grin. "Y/N here is sitting with me," she said decidedly, pulling you out from under Sam's arm and literally plopping down with you on the nearest long couch. "Wha--hey!" Sam protested, but before he could sit Rafe had called him over for something. 

Since it was Rafe who was calling, and therefore Rafe who WOULDN'T have a chance with you alone, Sam felt secure enough to stop over and see him for a second. So, he groaned good-naturedly and touched your arm to get your attention back from the babbling Chloe, quickly saying "I'll be right back. Hey, save my spot will ya?". He waited until you nodded and smiled before leaving. Sully had just texted Rafe about a job, and had a question, so it took a couple minutes.

In those couple minutes, Chloe had been interrogating you enough that you actually had to speak a little more than usual--and when she heard it, her mouth opened wide and she gaped.

"OH my GOD," she said, loud enough that everyone turned to look and listen. "You have an ACCENT!" 

You glanced around at everyone, unsure if that was good or bad, before Chloe rapidly resumed talking. "Where are you FROM? No, wait--scratch that, this'll be much more fun. Nate, toss me that globe!" 

He did, laughing, and it was a testament to your adventurous background that you didn't even flinch when she caught it right next to your head. "Heh," Rafe said admiringly, "she's ballsy." 

Sam glanced at him, too impressed with you and curious about your background to get in a cock fight, and slid through the room quickly to sit down next to you. "Oh, I'm DEFINITELY gettin' in on this," he said with a smirk, nestled right up against you. You chose to focus on the globe in Chloe's lap instead, since you were afraid you'd start to flush from the close contact. 

"Okay, nod if I get the right continent, and we'll narrow it down from there." You laughed, seeing that Chloe was comically serious about this game, and leaned back a little to watch. 

This would take a while, you thought to yourself with a little smirk. Sam saw it and felt his heart jump. 

 

Twenty minutes later, Nathan was in on the game too. They hadn't even gotten down to the right continent yet, and you were spending a lot of your time laughing and shaking your head no. 

 

"God damn it, what the hell IS it?!" Chloe asked, tipsy and laughing hard. 

You and Sam both did the same; his arm had come back around you, and you let it stay there-- a fact that was once again missed by neither of you. 

"Okay okay okay." Sam sat forward, the two of them strategizing right over your lap. You glanced at Sam's eyes again; he looked nice tonight, and his eyes looked different. You decided you liked them.

"Let's just start from the Arctic and go down." 

"Okay." Chloe nodded, furrowing her brow so fiercely in thought that you actually leaned your head back and laughed, exposing your neck, making Sam lose all concentration for a second. If it was just the two of you there, or even just Chloe and Nadine, he was tipsy enough that he might try to kiss it. The thought made a slow rumble vibrate through his pelvis. 

Thank God it wasn't audible, he mused dimly, but his eyes were still unabashedly on your throat...

Chloe snapped her fingers at him. She was more aware of the situation than she was pretending to be, deliberately trying to keep the night relaxed and comfy for you, and she also knew damn well what Sam was thinking about. Nice or no, she didn't think you'd love beng kissed by Sam right in front of some quasi-strangers. 

The finger-snapping worked just in time, and you straightened, giggling, without seeing the close call happen. 

Your giggle reminded Sam of bubbles, which reminded him of Scotch. "Dammit, Y/N, we never got you a drink!" 

"What?" Elena said from the kitchen. "She's the one who brought it!" 

"My bad, sweetheart, I'll get it," Sam said easily, his accent strong. His hand slid off you languidly, like he was loath to let go and was trying to savor it--which he was--and he stood up to head for the kitchen. "Chloe, don't start without me!" He called. 

Rafe stepped towards the couch then from where he'd been chatting with Nadine--but Nate was already there, sliding into the seat and joking with you and Chloe until Sam got back. Sam saw the brotherly gesture and sent his brother a nod of gratitude when he was on his way back with the drink. 

"Thank you, little brother," he said chivalrously as Nate gave a mock-bow, making you laugh again, and left.

"Anytime." Nate headed off to chat with Elena.

"Okay, let's do this." Sam rubbed his hands together gleefully, and you giggled again. He would've been content to listen to that all night...

"All righty. Not Greenland?" Chloe asked, and you shook your head, but your smile was already growing, knowing how excited they were going to be..

"Iceland?" She asked next...and you nodded, biting your lip. 

The shouts of victory were as loud as those at a Superbowl game, and you cracked up as Sam and Chloe high-fived. 

"I can't believe it I can't believe we found it!" Sam said, still laughing. He stared at you, not missing the sexy way you'd just bit your lip, and asked "So you're from Iceland, huh?"

You nodded. "Which part? Which part? Which part?" Chloe asked excitedly. Your cheeks hurt from laughing so much, but you laughed again anyway and pointed it out. 

On the globe it was just a blank space of white. "It's a little place isn't it," Chloe said thoughtfully, looking down at the globe, but Sam was still looking at you. 

You nodded amicably, but he saw some sadness in your eyes. You didn't usually think about your home. 

"What's it's name?" She asked, still curious but having calmed down a bit. 

"Skipbrot," you murmured, still looking friendly but your voice coming out very quiet. 

"Ha! Brot like the German for bread?" Chloe sensed your nostalgia, but chose to breeze past it for everyone's sake. 

You chuckled at that. "Yeah." 

"So do you avoid carbs in that town then?" She asked. "You know, SKIPPING the BREAD?" 

There was a moment of silence before you and Sam both laughed uproariously, Sam shaking his head and saying "WOW, Chloe, that was bad--" 

The laughs made your body move against his arm and side, and for a second both of you found it hard to breathe.


	10. Chapter 10

"So how DID you know I like Scotch, huh? Lucky guess?" Sam asked you. It was a few hours later; the night had been filled with an ever-drunker-Chloe getting funnier, Nate and Elena's rapport, an inebriated Rafe's surprisingly slapstick sense of humor, and lots and lots of laughs. You were having more fun than you'd had in a very long time, and Sam was deliberately avoiding drinking anything more than was required to keep him relaxed. He didn't want to be on his toes all the time around you, and it had become obvious that a teensy bit of alcohol was the easiest way for him to get the edge of self-consciousness off and genuinely be himself. 

You had been sipping yours very very delicately, not being much for the taste, but it had still given you a lightly warm tingly feeling below your waist, and your smile was coming constantly and easily. Chloe and Nadine were providing lots of entertainment at present, taking everyone's attention, so for now it really felt like it was just the two of you. The way he was speaking to you, low and privately and with his signature smirk, was making that clear as well. Sam's arm was still around you, tighter now, his hand hanging down near your chest but never touching your breasts. You figured he just hadn't really noticed his proximity, although you had, and it was now getting harder to tell if it was the alcohol or the man that was making you feel all swirly and giddy and tingly. 

In fact, Sam was incredibly, INCREDIBLY aware of his hand. He didn't think he'd ever felt more aware of it in his life. It felt like his entire body was IN his hand, just twitching, eager and waiting...it actually started to hurt, since he was tensing his wrist and forearm so much in an effort to make sure his hand didn't move. 

You looked at him, hearing his question, and he nodded towards the glass in your hand, smiling as cocky as a cat. You grinned sheepishly, lifting your free hand to gesture delicately, and said quietly "Well, you kind of...screamed 'I love Scotch.'"

He had, it was true; it had been about three weeks ago when you'd heard it, a raucous yell from a raucous party. It had made you laugh at the time, and you giggled a little now as his eyes widened. 

"Shit, I did? You heard that?" 

You nodded, laughing a little bigger now, and he suddenly burst out laughing. 

After a good two minutes of straight laughter, his eyes tearing up a little from his mirth, Sam wiped his eyes with his free hand and, still chuckling, said "God, I-Y/N, I-'m sorry!" You both kept laughing for a while before he made a mock-scolding face, raising one eyebrow, and you felt your heart quicken "And here I was thinking you were actually a goddamn psychic." 

You shook your head ruefully, smiling. 

"We're heading out, guys," Nadine said, having popped her head back in from the kitchen. "See you all later, yeah?" 

Everyone called out cheery and slurred farewells, and Nate pulled Rafe towards the door, too. You shifted in your seat, then slowly moved to get up, consciously giving Sam plenty of time to move his hand. He did, but you felt him keep it on your back for a moment longer than necessary, slowly sliding it off the fabric of your dress and down your spine before removing it. 

Sam hadn't really meant to do that, but he was glad he did. Although the Scotch had helped make it happen, he was quickly learning that your body provided a much better buzz. 

"I should go too," you said quietly, smiling, and he immediately rose to meet you. "Thank you for having me; this was a lot of fun." You hugged him, figuring that if you just bluffed it out and forced the hug that he would accept it. And accept it he did, eyes widening in surprise for a second before his arms went around you and wrapped you up tightly. He felt his body's unmistakable reaction to being pressed up tight against your body, and you yourself felt your mouth automatically open to let out some air, although you disguised it as a breathy grin and pulled away quickly. You felt his hands do that thing again, lingering, and decided unequivocally that you liked it. Warm and fuzzy was an understatement at this point. 

"You're not gonna go back to being Super Silence on me, are you?" he asked sardonically, accent thicker, and you could see in his eyes that, despite his nonchalant grin, the question was real. You gave a half=shrug, but topped it off with a big smile. That was enough for him. "Is that my superhero name now?"

Now that it was a little quieter, he could hear your very very faint accent. It was insanely adorable, and his grin got wider. 

"Ahhh, I can hear that accent now, Y/N. No more holdin' out on me." His voice was teasing and suggestive, and you just laughed a little, not sure how to respond. Fortunately, he kept going. "And eh, I thought of it in the moment. But I think I like 'Princess' better." He winked, thanking Christ for his ability to maintain his confidence, and you didn't know what to say, so you just brushed your hair back with a little smile and headed out, saying other farewells smoothly along the way. 

Sam watched you go, grinning like an idiot, and once you'd left, Nate clapped him lightly on the back, saying proudly "Hole in one, Sam. Hole in one."


	11. Chapter 11

It had been a busy week at work, so you hadn't seen much of Sam or the gang since the party--and it was hot, too, so you were about to head down to the pool in the basement. It was a nice one, cool and calm and quiet, with soft flickering little lights and clear blue water. You loved it down there, and often intentionally went for swims at odd times of day when you thought no one else would be there for company. It was only two o'clock in the afternoon, but with a hot, busy day like today, you could DEFINITELY use a swim, time of day be damned. 

Sam was hot, too, but since he and Chloe and Elena were about to take Cassie out shopping--Cassie, unsurprisingly, loved Chloe--he figured he could take advantage of stores' air conditioning. Now, he loitered outside his own apartment on the landing, experimentally smoking a new e-cigarette that Nathan had given him, and waited for the girls to come out and shut the door behind them. Stupid e-cigarette, he thought to himself irritably--

But all thoughts vanished when your door started to open, and Sam was left standing there with his mouth comically poised to smoke as you walked out. 

You stopped where you stood, surprised to see someone right outside your door. In your hot and tired haste, you'd done nothing but throw on a bikini--a skimpy one, one that you saved only for your 2-am swims normally--and grab a towel and slip into the nearest shoes. 

Those shoes happened to be stiletto high heels--and coincidentally, Sam was now finding himself unable to breathe. 

When the girls came out a moment later, it was only Cassie who was able to manage a perky "Hello!". Too eager for a swim to feel embarrassed for once, all you did was hold your towel in one hand daintily and give a little wave with the other. Already tall, you were now sky-high over Elena and Chloe, and almost taller than Sam. It was an orange little string bikini, one that you'd discovered had some kind of push-up cups in the top and was surprisingly revealing on the bottom. You'd seen it on yourself in the mirror after the online purchase and thought you looked like a porn star. But you'd figured that it was good motivation to stay in shape--and never really expected anyone else to see it--so you'd kept it around. 

"H-hi, Y/N," Chloe managed to squeak out a moment after your little wave. "Going for a swim?"

You gave your usual little nod and smile, turning to head downstairs, and mentally prepared to hear whatever funny thing Sam was going to say. 

But nothing came--and as you glanced back to see what was making the normally-chatty guy clam up, you saw that his mouth was gaping open. In fact, he didn't even seem to be blinking. 

You kept looking at him, unnerved, and Elena--having recovered--quickly stepped in. "Oh, Sam's just hot," she said lightly with a little laugh. "Try talking to him when autumn hits!"

You gave a little laugh at that, remembering how much you liked these people and how much fun you'd had with them, and considered lingering to commiserate over the temperature--but you really WERE hot, and bone-tired, and not at all used to being caught on your way to your private swims, so you headed on downstairs after one more tiny wave goodbye. 

"Heh." Sam gave a little, high-pitched cough once you were out of sight. 

"Bloody hell," Chloe murmured mischievously. "I might have to break it off with Nadine." 

Elena laughed--Chloe adored Nadine, and was obviously joking--and laughed harder when she saw that Sam had continued to stay frozen in place. 

"Uncle Sam?" Cassie gave a little tug on his leg, and Sam jolted out of his reverie. "H-hm?" 

"Do YOU want to go for a swim?" Cassie asked, surprisingly deviously, and the girls chuckled while Sam turned red. "All right, all right, let's go already," he said sardonically, quickly trying to recover. It would still be a good half an hour before his blush faded, though--and a good several hours before his thoughts became G-rated.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the song that I imagine for this is George Michael's "Father Figure" since that's what I dance to by myself in my pool. Just a fun little fact there ;) Plus it goes along with the delightful idea of Sam having a daddy kink haha enjoy!

You shimmied your hips adorably, itsy-bitsy shorts tumbling to the ground softly to reveal that orange bikini underneath, and elegantly lifted one ankle to kick them away. The pool's soft lights flickered as you made some music play, bending over to fold your towel with the start of the sensual song. The song had a good, slow, deep beat to it, making your hips react, swaying your ass gently from side to side in languid moves...you couldn't help but dance. You straightened for a second, removing a barely-there slip of a tank top, before bending over again, thinly-bikinied ass up high and waiting again as you folded the tank...

You turned then, lowering yourself languorously, delicately, into the water before slowly diving and surfacing to come up for air, eyes closed with a sighing smile as your hands smoothed your hair like a mermaid's and your head went back in ecstasy...

Sam jolted upright in bed, chest heaving as his thoughts darted from alarm to potential embarrassment. He sank back down, breath coming out in a whoosh of relieved and slightly exasperated air, and put a hand on his chest to feel it heave. Thank God I live alone, he thought with a nervous little laugh. GodDAMMIT, why'd that have to be a dream--

His other hand's fingers sidled delightfully below his waist, knowing the familiar ache and the eager almost-pain that meant he was SERIOUSLY turned on. You were just a wall away...

Jesus Christ, he thought in time with his heavy panting, this girl's gonna be the death of me. It still felt strange to do this now, with you so close--he'd had a few dreams like this before, and if there was one thing Sam could never resist, it was an orgasm, so he always 'came' through--but now that he had an even better visual...and the memory of his hand hanging so close to your breasts, that hug bringing his hips and chest closer to you...that sexy accent...GOD that bikini...

Sam let himself give in, a slow grin starting and his panting increasing further as he closed his eyes. He most definitely wanted the real thing, hopefully SOON, and there was no way he was giving up--but for now, he thought as he drifted back into that imaginary world and got his hips' heat rising, it was one hell of a fantasy.

Little did Sam know, you'd been having a dream of your own. Nothing particularly steamy or sensual, to start, but he had been in it, holding you in that hug with his hand near your breasts just like he had been at the party, chatting and making you laugh. You'd started feeling his breath on your neck and your ear after a while, in delicate little whispers, and felt your stomach contract, your smile and giggles getting more broken and unrestrained. The bolder, fantasy you 'accidentally' touched Sam's thigh with your hand mid-laugh, eyes watching his reaction, and when you distinctly saw his breath hitch and hips shift in his seat at your touch, it seemed natural to keep it there. 

Then Sam touched YOUR thigh as he murmured a joke in your ear, and it was your hips' turn to shift. Your legs opened, just a little, for his fingers--

You woke up with a start and a gasp, taken aback by your pelvis's strong buzzing and heat. Nervously, you rubbed your legs together; it had been a while since you'd slept with someone, and since you'd felt that tingle...you still remembered your sisters' stories about their wild nights, about their one-night stands and their wet dreams. With only a few brief affairs--usually with hot, cocky treasure hunters, due to convenience and common interests--and fairly normal dreams, you never cared much to contribute. You had told them about your first time, of course, and still smiled a little when you remembered how raptly they listened and how excited they were for you--but otherwise you kept things private. To have your subconscious betray you like this, to bring dirty thoughts right to the forefront and below your waist--you took a deep breath and decided not to stand for it. 

Rising from your bed, you padded to the bathroom and started the shower, hands on your hips as you took more deep breaths. You couldn't be thinking like this, not with Sam right there...could you?

After a moment, you turned off the shower and gave in. Oh, fuck it, you thought, heading back to bed and--blushing even though you were alone--reaching into that deliberately-discreet box that your sisters had forced on you years ago. At least it was the kind of vibrator that was quiet, you thought, swallowing hard as you laid back down and spread your legs. You were normally pretty silent when you started to come, gasping more than moaning--but tonight, you couldn't help a tiny whimper. 

And Sam, only yards away, was too busy making some groans of his own to hear.


	13. Chapter 13

_Y/N, it's Sully and it's important. Can we meet? I'm guessing you've been watching the news, too, so..._

You gulped the next morning, reading Sullivan's text as you ate your breakfast in between work. You'd felt jittery and guilty since last night, as if everyone who looked at you knew what you'd been doing, and jumped at the message alert. It was fortunate that you hadn't seen Sam on the way out of the building; you were pretty sure you would have turned bright red. 

Resigned, you picked up your phone to respond. It was only a matter of time before this was coming. 

_All right, Victor. Where are you?_

_Bermuda. But I've got my plane, so anywhere works for me._

Surprised, you texted back faster. 

_New Orleans._

_Done. I can be there by tonight. ;_

_That's fine._

_Take care, Y/N. See you soon_

You straightened your hair a little, consciously trying to regroup, and put the phone away. The hanging office TV flickered in your peripheral vision, and after a reluctant moment you got up to change it to the news on Syria. 

As the footage rolled, captions explaining the location, your face fell. "God DAMN it," you whispered faintly, eyes sad. They were getting too close now.

Hours later, you started up the apartment stairs, thoughts far away--but not quite far enough away that you forgot about how you'd spent your evening's free time. Even though Sam was on your mind, you were still taken off guard when he burst out of his own door. "Y/N," he said a little breathlessly, smiling and seeming excited. "Sorry I just--I got somethin' for you." 

Sam hadn't forgotten about last night, either, but his arousal had actually forced his initiative into high gear. He mentally prided himself on not blushing as he said it, or as he held up a hand and mock-firmly raised an eyebrow. "Stay here, aright? Don't move." 

Stuck on the landing now, you nodded tentatively, smiling but still unsure. He darted back into his apartment, looking back to check that you were staying. Your smile got a little bigger. 

"Okay." He was back in a flash, suddenly looking bashful, spare hand in one pocket. In the other...

"They're...Iceland Poppies," he murmured, cheeks unable to stop turning red now. He shrugged faux-casually. "Since, you know..." he waved the little potted plant vaguely "Iceland. And" he coughed, seeing that you were staring at him with your eyes wide "Elena said she'd--she'd, y'know...walked by your apartment when your door was open and saw you had a lot of plants. So--I just, I figured..." he let his voice trail off feebly before holding up the poppies higher "plant." 

You DID have a lot of plants, it was true; you liked green. And there was no way in HELL that you were telling Sam that the poppies weren't actually an Iceland-native plant. It was too fucking adorable.

Sam faltered a little when he saw that you were staring at him, your expression genuinely an open and fawning one. If you didn't end this soon, you realized, you were going to cry--so you quickly smiled, a moved smile that made Sam's nervous expression get hopeful, before abruptly pulling him into a hug. "THANK you, Sam," you whispered over his shoulder. Sam heard the slight break in your voice, and used both arms to hug you back, tucking his head a little further into your neck. 

"No problem," he said, more high-pitched than usual. He could feel his cheeks heating--and something else, since you were hugging--but he didn't care. 

You separated then, both swallowing and taking secretly-steadying breaths, and you were helpless to do anything but give him a big look that quite clearly said "Kiss me", making Sam stand stock still for a second in surprise--

"Y/N??"

You both turned with a jump to see Victor Sullivan halfway down the stairs, looking gobsmacked, and Sam's eyes went from wide to wider as he started solving the puzzle from the pieces. 

"You...know each other?"

"Hey, guys," Nate said cheerfully as he, Elena, Chloe, and Nadine entered further down at the landing. "What's--"

"You KNOW her?" Sully was asking Sam. Sam bristled. "YOU do?"

"Wait," you said, tentatively speaking up, still thrown by the gift "YOU two know each other?" 

"Hold up!" Chloe said with a clap of her hands. "We're gonna need snacks. And" she said as she started muscling everyone into Sam's apartment "drinks."


	14. Chapter 14

"Okay." Chloe snapped her fingers and started giving directions. You could feel Sam's gaze pinballing back and forth between you and Sullivan, his fingers clutching your plant. "You" she pointed to Nathan "beers. You" Elena blinked "nachos."

Elena looked confused. "Why na--"

"Because I WANT NACHOS!" Chloe burst out, clearly enjoying her leadership role. "Now then." She looked at the three of you, Nadine watching curiously. "Y/N," she said politely, speaking slowly and deliberately calmly--more for the close-to-boiling-over-Sam than anyone else "how do you know Sully?"

"We worked together for a while in the treasure-hunting industry," you answered lightly. It was an honest answer, and more information than you'd planned on revealing--but Sam looked so upset...you couldn't help elaborating quickly. "Victor helped my sisters and I on a few jobs, and vice versa. Usually with transportation."

Sam's giant unspoken question was hanging in the air so obviously that it practically had a heartbeat, and Sully took pity on the younger guy, subtly sending Sam a shake of his head. Sam's shoulders grudgingly lowered a little. He WANTED to believe that Victor had never gotten you...

"Wait," Nate said, sounding surprised, "YOU'RE in the treasure business?" 

"The ILLEGAL treasure business?" Chloe clarified, eyebrows raised incredulously. 

"Yes," you said, nodding with a small, sad laugh. Sam's shoulders visibly lowered further, his attention refocusing on you. "But my sisters were the ones who really wanted to do that. I was mainly just along for the ride. And yes, they were all--" you looked a little bashful, the expression so cute that Sam's jealousy vanished "not necessarily LEGAL things--"

"YOU'RE a treasure hunter." Nate still gaped at you. 

"Small world," Nadine laughed, looking impressed. You gave her a smile and a shrug in response--but your smile faded when Sully stepped up, regret already on his face. He sat down at the table. 

"Y/N..." Warning glimmered in your eyes, just for a second, and he held up a hand. "I know, I know. But they already know about them, and they might as well know about the connection." He spoke to everyone now. "Y/N is one of the Widowmakers." 

"The Wi--" Chloe and Sam paled, and Nadine's throat briefly tensed--but Sully kept talking. "Hooold on, hold on," he said quickly, hands moving in a placating gesture "she's the NICE one." 

"The-the one that you said was quitting for a normal life--and--" Chloe abruptly stopped her sentence, even though it was obvious what she'd been about to bring up. Elena and Nate watched, Nathan so distracted that he almost dropped the beers. 

"And going to come OUT of retirement to stop her sisters. Yes." The look you gave Sullivan then was as close to a glare as you ever got, and he sighed entreatingly. "Sorry, sweetheart, but that IS what we were meeting about anyway."

You stood stiffly, blinking rapidly, and gave Sam an embarrassed glance. It was bad enough that the others now knew you had sisters who were murderous psychopaths; but Sam...

The memory of what you'd seen on the TV from Syria today returned, and you sighed, sitting down next to Sully in a beleaguered fashion. "You're right." You looked up at the others guiltily. "I hope none of you have had any run-ins with them; if you have, I'm so sorry--" 

"No, don't worry about it, Y/N," Nate said quickly, smiling kindly and handing you a beer. "It's not your fault. And we haven't, anyway."

"You don't seem that surprised to learn that WE'RE treasure hunters, though," Nadine said shrewdly, everyone sitting down as Elena joined in with the demanded-nachos. Sam immediately sat next to you, shifting his seat to be sitting closer than Victor. Sully raised an eyebrow, ready to tease, but Nathan gave the older man a look until he reluctantly backed down. 

"Well, I'm not," you answered Nadine, sipping your beer, the taste a good distraction from the topic. It was actually NICE to be talking about these things. "I didn't know what any of YOU did for certain--but I knew what Rafe Adler did, so when I met him at your party" you gestured to Sam, who brightened a little at your attention "it was a natural assumption to make. I at the very least knew that you didn't have NORMAL jobs." 

"Well, if I remember correctly, Nate ALSO tried to convince you that he was a magician for a few minutes there," Elena laughed. Nate scoffed from where he sat beside her. "I could've been great!"

"That's still a terrible cover, kid--" Sully groaned. 

"Not if you've got natural TALENT, like I do--"

"ANYWAY" Chloe interjected "so your sisters are what your meeting was going to be about."

"Yes." You met Sully's sad gaze. "I'm sorry, kiddo," he said ruefully, sounding old and tired "but it's time. We've gotta stop 'em." 

You took a bracing breath and nodded. "I know," you said quietly. You took another sip of your beer; Sam watched the way your fingers fondled the bottle's base delicately, fingertips tremulously feeling its smooth glass and the ridge of the label. You didn't even seem to realize you were doing it--but he still stared. "So," you said, straightening a little, "When do we leave?"


	15. Chapter 15

"Wait." Sam looked at you, sounding like himself now, accent a little thicker in his stress. "YOU'RE going. To Syria." Nate shimmied a beer bottle his way, but Sam ignored it, hazel eyes fixed on you. 

You sighed, running one hand through your hair, and his gaze sharpened. "I have to, Sam," you said sadly. "My sisters are SMART, and they can smell a ruse a mile away. I'm the only person they trust enough to let close to them-"

Sam was speaking before your last word was even finished. "I'm goin' with you." 

"We will too," Nate said, glancing at his wife. "Right Elena?" 

She nodded. "Right. We'll get Cutter to babysit." 

Sully laughed sardonically. "He'll love that." 

"Charlie loves Cassie! And we need somebody in this business to be the babysitter, in case something goes down," Nate protested. Sully backed off and lit a cigar. 

"No smoking," Sam snapped. He actually could really use a cigarette himself--but he was too mad at Sullivan. "HA!" Sully chortled, making a show of puffing his cigar, "Good one." 

Sensing a cock-fight about to start, Chloe interrupted, her voice a cheery chime. "Well, Nadine and I are up for a little dusty-desert adventure! Aren't we darling." Nadine smirked at the nickname, but nodded with a smile. "Sure. Feel like stretching my legs."

"You guys don't have to--" you started, smiling politely but still looking sad. Sam cut you off. "Nope! We're goin', Y/N. Syria's no place to go alone."

"Yeah, Y/N, we'll cover you," Nate said cheerfully. You smiled wider, feeling better despite the ominous task ahead. "Thank you, guys. That would actually be great." You kept your eyes on Sam as you said the last sentence, hoping he was feeling less tense, and relaxed a little seeing his genuine grin back. 

"Welp," he said sassily, tilting his head back for a sip of beer--holding your plant carefully under the table, in case anyone else might see it-- "Looks like I'll get to cross another country off my list. You ever been before, Y/N?"

"Once," you said, glancing at Sully apprehensively. Sam read your face easily, as usual, and paused another sip mid-air. "What?"

"That," you sighed, "was when we put them in there."


	16. Chapter 16

"All right," Chloe said, "hold up. What do you mean "put them IN there"?"

You sat quietly, feeling a little guilty, as Sully explained. "Y/N had tried everything she could to keep her sisters from hurting people. Therapies, prisons, psychiatric wards even--" you flinched, eyes getting sadder and sadder "never without her sisters knowing that she was the cause. But they always escaped, or bribed someone, and got out. So, Y/N and I devised a new plan. Crystal and Ruby love treasure--so we made UP a treasure. False treasure hunt, with fake old manuscripts, rune carvings, everything. Took a lot of money and effort to make that happen--after all, it had to be good enough to convince two brilliant experts--but it worked. That's what they've been hunting in Syria--Y/N specifically designed a treasure hunt with just enough temptation and leads to keep them interested, but not enough to actually ever get to a real find. Only problem is," Sully said, "It's been a couple years now, and they've started acting out. Boredom doesn't sit well with those two--HENCE," he waved his cigar, and Sam glowered "the explosions. They're getting more aggressive in their search techniques, and blowing off steam at the same time. But they're getting too close to civilization, to people. We'd put the 'treasure' in the middle of nowhere, hoping they'd stay out there...no such luck."

"So...now what?" Elena asked, eyes on you. You met her gaze reluctantly, and Sully spoke softer. "We have to stop them, one way or another. We don't have the money to fake more treasure hunts like that--and they won't let THIS one go until they find something. So either we find a real treasure, just to use for that--forgoing any profits of our own from the hunt--or we stop them" he refused to look at you, and you looked at the table "permanently."

"K-kill them?" Nate asked, voice small. You swallowed hard. 

"Well, let's try for a treasure hunt first," Elena said quietly. "Maybe that will work--"

"There may not be time," Nadine said grimly, "not at the rate they're moving. I'm assuming their explosions are the ones all over the news." You glanced at her and nodded. Sam's plant-holding hand fidgeted with the urge to hug you. 

There was silence for a moment. "Y/N, I'm so sorry," Elena murmured. You quickly perked up a little, trying to save face, and let out a rather wet laugh. "It's all right," you practically whispered back "It has to be done." 

You stood then, beer finished, and looked at Sully. "Tomorrow morning, then?" 

Sully nodded. "See you at the hangar." 

You nodded back faintly. "All right. Good night, everyone. Thank you for coming." You gave them a polite, but strained smile and turned to leave. 

You'd made it to your front door when Sam caught up with you. "Y/N, wait."

You turned. "Sam?"

He was pale now instead of red. "Um--" he held out the plant. "You forgot your poppies." 

"Oh," you laughed, wetly again. "Thanks." You looked down at them, wanting to cry. "Really," you said, admiring them through the blur of oncoming tears "that was very, very sweet. I-" you looked up at him tremulously "I don't suppose Ch-'Charlie' could water them for me, do you?"

You looked so sad, and Sam didn't think he'd ever felt a twist in his chest quite like the one from seeing you cry. Or at least, he hadn't since his mother died. And he was nodding, pulling you into a tight, solid hug before either of you realized. "I'm so sorry, Y/N," he said into your neck. You hugged him back, the embrace luring you farther away from almost-crying, and nodded. "I know, Sam. I know." 

He reluctantly pulled away--and you leaned in to kiss his cheek, Sam's skin buzzing under your lips, before smiling and turning away. "See you tomorrow." 

And Sam stared after you, one hand going up to his cheek as if it had a mind of its own.

Fuck, he thought minutes later (finally coming out of his haze), Charlie BETTER not hurt those plants.


	17. Chapter 17

The sun beat down on the tarmac as you and the others stepped toward Sullivan's plane. It had been a cramped car ride, since everyone had insisted on taking one car and the adventurers (unsurprisingly) didn't care one whit about seatbelts--and you and Sam were both pretending that it was the sunshine now making your faces bright red, instead of the way that you'd been pressing up against one another. Fortunately, there'd been too much laughing and jostling on the bumpy ride for the others to notice--or if they did, they were kind enough to play dumb. 

"Oh--there's one more thing," Sully said suddenly, turning in front of the group and stopping everyone. "I figured we needed another contact to help us on the ground when we get there, someone who's been there a few times and knows the terrain. Aaaaand" something about the way he was tentatively speaking made Sam tense, sensing that bad news was coming "someone like that just happened to be nearby. So," Sully continued, trying to sound cheerful despite Sam's growing glare, "everyone, say hello to...Harry Flynn."

The cocky, British brunette man stepped out from the plane, smiling and throwing the girls a dashing wink. "Why, hello, ladies," he said, accent doubling his charm. 

Sam actually almost hit Sully then and there. He finally had a real chance to travel with you, to take his SHOT, and Victor goddamn Sullivan had brought a sexy British PLAYBOY--

Nate stepped forward quickly, sensing the tension--and being a little more fond of Harry than his brother was. Harry and Sam had never seen eye to eye anyway; they were too similar, both caustic and sardonic and smooth and funny, and those similarities made each man huge competition. Nate had stopped more than one fight before, and braced himself to do so again. 

"Hi, Harry!" he said loudly, almost covering Sam's muttered swears. Harry gave him a hug, smiling. "Nice to see you, mate," he laughed. "Didn't expect me, I take it?"

"Well, you are full of surprises," Nate said cheerfully. "I, ah, think you know everybody but Y/N here--" he gestured to you quickly, unable to avoid the introduction but knowing that it was going to be a troublesome one. And he was right; Harry's eyes narrowed mischievously onto you like a cat's. 

"Holy hell," he said slowly, smirk spreading. You'd seen flirty looks like that on plenty of guys, and gave him the same polite and friendly greeting you always did. "Hi, Harry; I'm Y/N L/N."

"The nice one of the Widowmakers," Harry said, smile still growing. He reached out to shake your hand, and Sam held his breath angrily while watching you take it. "I've heard of you," Harry continued, smile somehow even bigger now. "But" he made a show of letting his eyes rove up and down your entire body, before meeting your gaze "definitely not ALL of you--"

"Well, there'll be time for pleasantries later," Chloe said quickly, surprising even herself by being the diplomatic charge-taker. "Syria's not going to save itself, after all!" She clapped her hands together, and Harry slowly released yours--but not before a wink. You gave him another mildly friendly smile in return, sensing Sam's discomfort next to you. You actually found such flirtatious men amusing--after all, Sam was very much the same most of the time, and had spent months using similar pick-up lines--and wanted to laugh; but Sam was upset, so you reined any reactions in.

"All right there, Chloe?" Harry said, distracted for now and greeting another one of his old friends as everyone boarded the plane. "Never better," Chloe said blithely, "you?"

"Better now." The comment was for you, even though you weren't looking, but you steadfastly focused on placing your duffel under a seat and settling down, again holding down an amused smile. Sam was quick to take the next one, and Nadine actually stepped in to take the other, keeping you blocked on both sides. Sam gave her a grateful glance. 

"Everyone ready?" Sully asked from the cockpit. Elena and Nathan had set up on one of the long benches, and Chloe was already gearing up to regale a temporarily-foiled-Harry with funny stories the whole way on another one. Sam made a mental note to repay her and Nadine for their heroism sometime. 

"Ready," Nate chirped. Sully gave you a look, and your lighthearted amusement at the new arrival's flirtations vanished as you remembered what you were flying to Syria to do. 

Sam, as usual, immediately noticed your face change. He reached into his duffel, then shifted in his seat to catch your attention. "Hey. Y/N."

"Hm?" You looked over to see a handful of games--silly ones, ten small boxes of them. Sam grinned. "Which one should we play first?" 

"Not yet, Sam," Sully called from the cockpit. "We're about to take off!"

"Shut up, Sully, this is an important decision!" Sam yelled back, making you laugh. "So?" He shook the boxes tantalizingly, preening again at making you giggle. "What'll it be?"

You looked at the whimsical-looking games, not knowing any of them, then tentatively pointed to one. "What is THAT?"

"Ah. Fine taste. This," Sam turned it over for you to see "is called 'Unstable Unicorns'." 

Seeing Samuel Drake proudly holding up a box covered in unicorns and rainbow and glitter made you giggle again, and nod. "This one?" He raised an eyebrow, and you looked back down at the box to avoid another blush before nodding. 

Sam grinned. "Unicorns it is! Don't mock me, Nadine," Sam said warningly, seeing the woman's bemused look. "This is a high-class game of strategy and glitter bombs. Only the finest people can play it." 

"And that includes you?" Harry said. But the plane's engine was roaring now, and Sam exaggeratedly put a hand on his ear. "Sorry, Harry, I can't hear whatever you just said," he hollered. "What's that? Only Y/N and I should play? Good idea, Harry!" 

Harry glowered from where he sat, and you delicately held in another laugh at Sam's blatant power play--and another blush at realizing that this flight was going to be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's a real game :) And Harrrryyyy is here! I didn't even expect him to show up myself until I started writing. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone reading!


	18. Chapter 18

"Wait, you--what's pandemonium?" you asked, looking at the cards and sounding confused. The flight had been going on for two hours now, and was bound for several more (including a stop somewhere in Africa). 

Sam cackled maniacally, making the others laugh as they looked on. As it turned out, Unstable Unicorns was a rather intense game. "It's "PANDA"-monium," Sam said victoriously. "I just turned all your unicorns into pandas!" 

"Wait--so--" you looked through your cards desperately. "They're all just...bears now? So none of my bonuses work??"

"HaHA!" Sam hooted. "Exactly!"

"What? How the hell can that be a card?!" 

Sam smirked even wider at hearing you swear. "It's just the laws of the game, Y/N. What, can't handle it?" 

You sighed and laughed, throwing your cards down. "I mean, I guess I lose then, right?" 

"What? No! There must be a way around for you to still win." Elena slid over, trying to help--then shrugged. "...Or not." 

"Heh. These cards are really cute," Nate said, picking one up. Sam swatted him away. "DON'T destroy the deck!"

"But the game's over!" 

"Fair point."

"I would've let you win, Y/N," Harry said with a wink. Sensing Sam puff up beside you, you were quick to start defusing the tension. "Ah, well, thank you anyway Harry, but I think I've had enough of games for now." You sat back and pulled out a book. 

Sam looked at it, successfully distracted from Harry's flirtations. "The True Adventures of Charlotte Doyle?"

"That's a great book," Elena said appreciatively. "You'd like it, Sam." 

"Guess I'll have to wait until Y/N is done." Sam sent you puppy eyes, but you laughed and held your book up to hide his face--even though your own slight blush was telling you that you'd rather have gotten to keep looking at it. 

"Fine, fine!" You heard him say. "I'll twiddle my thumbs for six hours." 

As it happened, Sam did NOT twiddle his thumbs for six hours. He mostly just chatted and made pirate jokes and distracted you. But it would be a lie to say that you minded. 

After a pit stop in Africa, everyone was getting too sleepy to keep up conversation--and Sam fought to stay awake to watch you as you slept, but eventually had to give in. Which meant it was only when the plane landed in Syria--and a now-VERY-sleepy-Sullivan elected to take his own nap--that the rest of you woke up.

The knowledge of what you were actually here for returned, making your smile dim, but Sam was ready. "Hey, c'mon, Y/N," he said, putting an arm around you and giving you a gentle shake. "Let's try to stay positive for now, ah?" 

You knew what he meant; maybe your sisters wouldn't have to be put down like rabid dogs. But your gut told you otherwise. 

And your guilty conscience multiplied tenfold by the warm fuzzy feeling from being under Sam's arm. You shouldn't be enjoying yourself at ALL while on this trip. But Sam...just made you happy, somehow. And as he nestled you a little closer under his arm, bolstering your courage as you left the plane together, you decided to let yourself feel it.


	19. Chapter 19

Sully might have been napping, but he'd still managed to be useful: his sources had already given you an inkling as to where your sisters were. And now everyone was in a 4 by 4 outrig, headed into the desert. 

It was going to be a bit of a drive--but Harry's threat had amped up Sam's courage, and he'd snuck his hand around your waist sitting next to you, so you didn't mind the distance. But Chloe abruptly decided to fill the silence. "Y/N, if I can ask...were your sisters always like this?"

You shook your head sadly, growing a little somber despite feeling that heady buzz from Sam's arm around your waist. You felt his hazel eyes on you. 

"No. I mean growing up, they were always trouble, but never like this. There was...a dig we went on. We were all barely old enough to drink. It was this tomb deep in Mexico--obscure, its name surrounded by vague, dark legends..." you sighed and shifted a little, grateful for Sam's hand now "and when we were there we found this...box, on a stucco dais." 

Sam's eyes were still on you, looking a warm brown-golden in the desert light. You kept speaking. "I was just behind them on the stairs up to the dais, so they were the first to get to it...and like always, I told them not to touch it yet. Like always...they didn't listen--" your eyelashes flickered a little, but you tamped down the familiar pain. You did NOT want to cry right now. 

"It changed them the very second that they touched it. I saw it happen, they--their eyes...went dark, completely black for a second, and they both stood frozen still, then suddenly were talking and looking normal again. But their eyes..they didn't look black like that anymore, but they had a-a craziness to them, a fire that wasn't there before. And I knew right then that I had lost my sisters. For all intents and purposes, they died that day. They're--the girls that they are now--they're not...them."

You brushed some hair out of your face, trying to regroup and met the others with a bracing breath and a weak smile. "That's part of why this might not be so painful. They're NOT my sisters anymore, you see."

But they don't know that, your mind added. They don't know that and so to them you're going to betray them and murder them, because to them you're still their beloved sister--

Sam saw the worry and guilt in your eyes and pulled you closer in a side-hug. "Hey. What happened to them wasn't your fault." He looked more somber than you'd ever seen him before. "And Y/N--you really don't have to be there, if...things go bad. If we have to do it, if it really has to be done--you DON'T HAVE TO BE THERE, okay?" 

You looked between them all--even Harry looked sad--and shook your head. "Oh, no, you guys, YOU don't have to be the ones to--"

"Stop," Chloe said, sounding earnest. "WE have unfortunately killed our share of people. We're not happy about it, but we can do it. And you should definitely NOT have to be the one to. Just let us handle it, okay?"

You didn't looked convinced, but your silence counted as acceptance. The others let the silence stay, and the ride turned back into a span of quiet and calm before the storm--but Sam kept his arm wrapped around your waist, and actually reached with that hand to subtly hold yours down near your hips. If you'd been alone, you'd have rested your head on his shoulder--and God knew Sam wanted you to; he himself was torn between arousal and being concerned--but for now, you settled for the quiet support of his fingers laced with yours.


	20. Chapter 20

You hopped out of the jeep, feet crunching into the rough desert gravel under your boots, and looked around. The sandy, empty expanse of land around you was filled with uninhabited cliffs and hummocks--or so it seemed. But Sullivan's friend had said that the girls were here, and you believed him. 

"Any ideas?" Sam asked tentatively, coming up behind you to look out over the rocky desert. 

"All my guy said was that your sisters were in this vicinity," Sully added. "He's got a friend of a friend of a friend who's been delivering supplies to them." You nodded absently, still looking around and feeling distinctly torn by the knowledge that your friends were here. You were glad to have the company, but they were also about to see two monstrous women that you were (as guilty as you felt about admitting it) ashamed to be related to. Your mischievous, but kind, sisters really were as good as gone, and two cruel and unstable people had taken their place. You didn't want Sam to see just how bad they had gotten--and they had no doubt gotten worse since you'd left.

Whatever that cursed box had been, it had done its job. And if things came to what you feared...this might be the last time you were going to see your sisters, whether or not they were your real siblings. And in their last moments, they were going to believe that you were betraying them.

Sam touched your elbow, obviously sensing your distress. "Y/N, I'm sure we could find them on our own. Chloe here has a surprising amount of tracking experience--"

For a moment, you considered taking his offer--and not just because you were touched by his worry. But no, you realized with a sinking feeling already rising--this was going to be the last time you could see your sisters alive, and you didn't want to miss that. Especially if there was even a fragment of them left in there. 

You shook your head to cut him off. "No, I'll-I'll be all right. Thank you, Sam." 

Despite the situation, Sam couldn't help a flutter in his chest at hearing you say his name. It was a sound he never got tired of hearing. "All right. If you're sure."

You shifted your feet, refocusing as you surveyed the landscape. "They'll be down low somewhere," you said confidently. 

Nathan looked surprised. "Really? I'd have thought they'd be up high to keep a good lay of the land, and see anyone coming."

You laughed sadly. "Well. If they were still my SISTERS, yes. But" you sighed. "They're not my sisters. They're something dark that lived in Mexican caves. So far down is where they'll be."

"Great." Chloe turned back to the car with a rueful laugh. "Well, good thing Charlie Cutter's not here. He hates small spaces. And this" she turned back from grabbing a bag of spelunking supplies "looks like something he'd hate."


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine Adriana Lima and Miranda Kerr as the two sisters, by the way.

"See anything yet?" Sam called down from right above you on the line, everyone else lined up above him. You looked further down into the darkness, your headlamp spotlighting the crags and crevices of the chasm that you were descending further in. 

"I think we're getting near the bottom," you called up, glancing up at Sam in response--

your foot gave out on an unstable rock, and you began to plummet. 

"Y/N!"

The grunts of exertion from Sam as he frantically used his arm muscles to catch you punctuated the moment of panic. You slammed into the side of the chasm for a moment with a cry of pain, and Sam called out again as the others called out from above him to hear what was happening. 

"Y/N! Y'okay?!"

"Y-yes," you said breathily, panting for a second from adrenaline as your rebalanced yourself and repositioned your feet against the rock wall, leaning back in a mid-air sitting position. "I'm fine!"

"Everyone good?" Sully hollered down. So much for stealth, you thought to yourself as you gingerly started back down. Your sisters would definitely know you were coming now. Oh, well nothing to be done about it. 

"Hit bottom," you called up to Sam, hearing him pass on the message as your boots touched the ground. You rolled your shoulders and stretched as you removed your harness, waiting for the others to catch up. It had certainly been a while since you'd rock-climbed or rappelled. You removed the large flashlight from your waistband and turned to look around the new area, hearing Sam distantly say "wait up, Y/N-- let me get down to you first--" as your light started exploring. 

The yellow glow lit on a pile of boxes--several clearly labeled as dynamite. Oh, you thought, suddenly seeing a spark, oh SHIT--

"Wait!" You yelled suddenly, panicking, and holding out a placating hand to the general area where you thought your sisters might be watching "It's Y/N! Stop!"

Your body jolted in alarm when Crystal appeared out nowhere, sliding right out of the shadows and darkness in the rock wall and slicing off the lit fuse, her brown eyes still on you. It was as if she'd melted right out of the dark--

You quickly swallowed hard and took a breath. Careful, Y/N, tread CAREFULLY, you thought to yourself. The sight of your sister, looking so normal, was a red herring--the way that she was moving, and the way that she'd just slid out of the shadows like that, was evidence of the REAL presence here. She still wasn't your sibling. 

"Crystal." You gestured behind you slowly, feeling Sam land on the ground but keeping your eyes on your sister's inquisitive ones. "These are my friends, they're not a problem." If her movements hadn't been a sign that she wasn't herself, the fact that she'd been about to blow up a bunch of strangers without clear cause WAS.

Crystal's eyes went from looking curious to a disturbingly childlike level of excitement. "Y/N! Y/N is here! Ruby, it's Y/N!" she called off to the right, where a slight breeze was making you begin to sense a bigger cavern. 

"Y/N?" You heard your other sister's excitement and heard her get closer, and fought off the fear firmly. Sam could practically feel your urge to quake, though, and touched your back gently in support. You heard the sound of the others arriving, and thanked Christ that they had the sense to stay quiet. 

"Y/N, I can't believe you're here!" Crystal stepped forward and gave you a big hug, and you hugged her back, feeling your heart break. You saw Ruby over Crystal's shoulder, gesturing for you to join her excitedly. "Y/N is back!" She announced happily, almost to herself. "Come in, come in, come in!"

As you and your friends followed them into the cavern lit with a fire and filled with supply boxes and cots, you felt your heart shatter even further with Ruby's eager hug and gave Sam and your friends a glance. 

Ruby picked up on it immediately, and shifted so suddenly from excited to suspicious that her eyes actually got darker. 

"What was that?" She snapped, stiffening. Crystal copied her immediately, brunette hair swishing as she looked between everyone and narrowed her eyes like a cat's. 

You recovered quickly, sliding back into the habit of calming your sisters down. But the stakes were much higher this time, you realized...

"I'm just nervous about you meeting my friends," you said. "I want you to like my friends, because you're my sisters and what you think is important to me."

They seemed flattered and relaxed, switching back to grins eerily quickly. Chloe and Harry both distinctly felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand up, and for once had nothing witty to say. Even Nathan was swallowing hard.

Ruby gravitated towards him immediately, giving Elena a smirk that would've made a more jealous woman seethe. But Elena held her temper as Ruby leaned in and gave Nathan's neck a sniff. "Hmmmmm," she said, grinning wider. "This friend of yours is cute, Y/N. And he smells good." 

Nathan glanced at you, clearly unsure how to respond. You spoke up, signaling that his silence was still best. "Well, I'm glad you approve. So" you made a show of looking around the place, changing the subject "what have you girls been up to?"

Crystal clapped her hands together, and everyone almost jumped. "Oh my gosh, Y/N, you're going to be so excited when you hear," she said, visibly enthused and pulling you over to the fire to sit down. Everyone followed suit tentatively, Ruby making a show of sitting in a very nervous Nathan's lap. "I like your mustache," she said, leaning over and giving Sully's mustache a poke. Sully smiled weakly, but stayed quiet. Normally, Harry would've been almost offended by the lack of attention--but today he thanked his lucky stars. 

"Y/N, we were struggling with the treasure, and I needed to blow off some steam," Crystal said, as if it was obvious. "And LOOK--" she held up a handmade bomb, and your friends visibly tensed "what I made!"

You didn't mention that you'd already seen her handiwork on TV. "What is it?"

"It's a unique blend of C4, semtex, and plutonium," Crystal said proudly. "With a dash of cayenne thrown in for spice," Ruby joked from Nathan's lap. You smiled feebly at the joke. "And where have you been using this new recipe?" 

"Oh, just around," Crystal said vaguely. "BUT we have intel that suggests that the treasure we want might be under a building in the next town over. We're going to blow it up!" She said as excitedly as a girl announcing an engagement, bouncing up and down and squeaking. 

You glanced at Sully; the two of you had worked hard to make up that fictional treasure, but nothing about an in-town location. The remoteness had been the POINT. 

Trying to stay calm, you regrouped. "I know," you said slowly, "that blowing stuff up is fun."

"The funnest," Crystal said happily. Elena inwardly cringed at the incorrect word. 

"Maybe," you continued tentatively, "it might be fun to try something really different. You could mix things up by going in a more subtle way--plus you wouldn't want to risk damaging any treasure."

"Nah," Ruby stood up and brushed the suggestion off. "We want to do it this way."

"Plus it'll be extra nasty," Crystal said with a cheerful laugh. "It's an orphanage."


	22. Chapter 22

Sam and the others paled; you weren't far behind, but managed to hide most of your dismay. 

"Okay," you said calmly, feeling your friends' stress behind you, "as a favor to me, could you please just trust me and do the subtle way?"

Ruby picked up on your friends' tension, and let out a harsh laugh. "Your friends lack a good definition of fun, it seems like, and so do you. Y/N, why don't you want us to have some fun?"

"Just please," you said calmly, feeling your heart rate rise, "please trust me on this."

Crystal's eyes narrowed. "What do you know?"

Taking a risk, your arched your brow and crossed your arms. "I know enough to be your big sister who's telling you that that would be a mistake."

Both sisters looked at each other, and for a second they looked like they had when you were kids: submissive and following your lead. But then the darkness in their eyes flickered again, and both sisters laughed. "You've been gone for too long, Y/N," Ruby said snidely. "We're calling the shots on this treasure hunt. You have fun with your handsome friends; we're off to have fun OUR way."

They started to step past you, but you let out a sigh of resignation and stopped them. "I can't let you; I'm sorry."

Your friends stood up behind you, Sam getting particularly close. Your sisters just laughed as they watched the movement. "What, are you going to FIGHT us, Y/N?" Ruby scoffed. "Please. You may be no slouch in a fight, but--"

"I've always been better than YOU, and you know it," you snapped, letting a bit of bite make its way into your voice. Ruby looked slightly put off by the hostility, but not for long. Crystal stepped in. "Yeah, well, you're rusty, big sis, and I don't know if you're aware of this, but your little friends" she gestured at them with contempt, and everyone instantly became more conscious of their concealed weaponry "are no match for us either."

"Well," Chloe said, getting into fighting position, "let's just see." 

Crystal raised an eyebrow mirthfully--before launching herself at Chloe in a flurry of kicks and spins with the force of a battering ram. Chloe parried and blocked, backing up to get the support of Harry; Crystal hit him with a resounding high kick to the face, making him stumble back into Elena, who joined in the fray. 

Sensing the distraction, Ruby sent a high strike your way; you blocked it swiftly, martial arts training come back and kicking in as you responded. The fight continued, your friends being hostile and teaming up to fight the duo in what should have been an easy conquest--but Crystal and Ruby were fast, unnaturally fast, and the fact solidified in your mind that they were not your sisters. You focused on blocks and parries, at least initially, unwilling to really hit your sister--but when Sam joined in, attacking Ruby with you, instinct made you fight back harder. You couldn't let her hurt your Sam, you just...couldn't.

"HA!" A victory cry sounded as Crystal was successfully pinned by Nate and Harry, and Chloe held her at gunpoint. Elena and Sullivan did the same, pistols held steady as everyone panted. Hearing the cry, Ruby was distracted--and a solid elbow to her face from you made her fall back off her feet. Sam immediately pulled his gun, and you did the same, heart breaking entirely again.

It broke even further when you saw the look in her eyes. "Y/N???" Ruby panted. 

"Y/N..." Crystal said despairingly from where she was being held. You could feel both sets of eyes. 

You took a deep breath, swallowing hard to refocus, and steadied your gun. "If you both surrender now and let us take you with us, none of this has to keep happening." The pleading in your voice was real, and for a moment Ruby looked like she was listening. But you could see the bruises forming on your friends already, especially Sam, and remembered again: this wasn't Ruby. 

"Ruby," you said calmly, "I know this isn't really you. If you come with us, maybe we can help you--"

Ruby lunged forward, stealing Sam's gun and twisting him to be held in a chokehold before anyone could react. Crystal did the same, taking advantage of the distraction to pin Nathan. "Drop them!" She said, smirking as she took Nate's reclaimed gun and aimed it at his head. The darkness was back again. Sam was already turning purple from being choked, and Nathan looked as white as a sheet with the gun pressed against his temple. Elena made a sound of despair. 

"We'll kill them, Y/N, I swear we will," Ruby said calmly--and you believed her. "It will be fun--"

You shot Ruby first, moving to shoot Crystal with a similar headshot before your first sister could even fall. Your sisters HAD meant it, and you started telling yourself that immediately as the realization of what you'd just done started to hit you. They WERE going to kill Nathan and Sam--in just SECONDS they were going to--

You started trembling and your chest started heaving anyway, though, and you crumpled to the floor with a sob. Sam's arms were instantly around you, and Chloe and Elena were already working to cover the bodies--but you were barely aware of anything but your sisters' empty eyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten hours later, you were back on the plane, staring out the window--this time with two urns clutched in your arms. Sullivan had somehow gotten a fast-track cremation to happen, and you were grateful to him--or you would be, when you felt like you could feel again.

"So...where to now," Sam asked quietly in a murmur, sitting close. 

You took a breath. "Skipbrot," you answered, looking straight ahead firmly. "I'm taking them home."

Sam looked serious. "Then I'm coming with you." You looked at him, surprised, but he just touched your hand gently, his next sentence earnest and his eyes even more hazel. 

"I'm with you."


	23. Chapter 23

The Iceland sky shimmered and flickered with its auroras, pink and purple and green, as you and Sam hopped down from the haggard-looking little bus to enter the tiny seaside town. It may not have looked like much, you'd explained to Sam, but it was a trooper. With unique snow-friendly tires and a surprisingly strong structure, the bus managed to get through all of Iceland's most remote and icy roads to get you back to your hometown. The only true hazard been the driver's hatred of Sam Drake's jokes--but they'd cheered you up quite a bit. 

And so long it had been, you thought to yourself (holding your sisters' urns), since you'd been here.

Sam wrapped an arm around you, standing by your side on the pier as you both looked up at the Northern Lights. The cold wind put an extra chill in the docking-town's air, and the incoming tide could be heard faintly underneath its whispers. "Amazing," he said quietly, his Boston accent a standout in the quiet Icelandic atmosphere.

Sam wasn't sure if he was talking about you, or the aurora up above; maybe both. But all he could think about was cheering you up and calming you down--hence the self-sacrifice he'd committed by making deliberately awful jokes on the bus and attracting the driver's ire. And now, standing here with you by the sea under beautiful Northern Lights...he just wished the two of you were here for a more romantic, happier reason. 

"Come on," you said with a sigh, feeling the cold metal of the urns seeping through your gloves, "let's get this over with."

It was two hours later when you'd managed to ask your way around the small town--amidst several welcoming hugs and questions from your old neighbors and concerned friends (including an attractive snowmobile mechanic who looked far too much like Tom Hardy--and far too interested in YOU--for Sam's liking)--before the right person had been informed about the urns. As predicted, the ground was far too cold for a burial ceremony--and although your sisters liked the ocean, they didn't love it enough for a scattering of their ashes at sea to be appropriate. The gentle old man at the mausoleum was deeply saddened to hear about Crystal and Ruby, and nearly cried himself as he went about storing their urns in the mausoleum until warmer weather. You didn't think it would be kind to tell him just how long ago your genuine sisters had really died, and how terrible they'd become in their last years. Nor did you want to admit how disappointed you were that the burial wasn't a ceremony you could finish today. It would be months before closure came. 

The sight of the bullet hole in Ruby's head and the way that she'd collapsed flickered in your vision for the fiftieth time that day, and you blinked it away as you now walked back into the main part of town with a very quiet Sam. His hand brushed your arm, and even in your guilt-ridden haze you felt your body react to his warmth as you walked through the shanty-filled town. 

"Finally she arrives!" A caustic American woman's voice sounded off to your right, under one of the many portable heaters strewn about the town. "I think I'm half made of ice at this point."

"Dagny?" You blinked, surprised. Sam glanced between the two of you. "You know her?"

"Sam, this is Dagny Silva," you said, still taken aback by the surprise of her presence. "She's a treasure hunter too."

Sam visibly perked up and shook her hand as Dagny looked him over with a bemused smirk. "Sam Drake."

"Drake?" The little brunette woman raised an eyebrow under her furry hat. She was bundled up as if she'd never been cold before in her life--and since she mostly worked in the tropics, that might have been the case. "I do believe I've worked with a brother of yours."

"Nathan did mention a feisty little--" he coughed at seeing her glare "a bad-ass woman he worked with in Guatemala years back."

Dagny grudgingly let the height comment slide. "Yes. And HE had the sense not to bring size into it."

Sam looked down like a scolded boy, and you couldn't help smiling a little. These two could probably be close friends, if given a shot. Dagny was a lot like Chloe, after all--and, you suddenly remembered, Chloe's ex. You made a mental note to keep her away from Nadine. 

"What're you doing here?" you asked happily. Dagny was an excellent unexpected distraction. 

Dagny scoffed good-naturedly. "Right now? Waiting for you, since I heard the Fates smiled on us and coincidentally brought you to this town right when I've been occupying it. But to answer your real question, I WAS here as part of a ship restoration team. For the Heerlijkeid, that 18th century ship that crashed here back in the day. I offered to sponsor the rebuilding project to get the ship floating again. Mostly because I'm super nice and cool like that."

You patiently waited for the real reason. Dagny continued, snark filling her tone. "But also because there's a rumor about a treasure on board worth millions." You and Sam exchanged a glance, his smile already growing, as she went on. "Magnus," she practically spat, "the man in charge of the project--and my business partner--promised we'd find it and split the earnings."

"But he's gone missing now?" Sam asked. He'd gleaned from your shared glance that you appreciated the distraction, so he allowed his curiosity to be piqued. Another treasure find--and a mystery--sounded good right about now, for both of you. 

"Yes." Dagny pouted. "And left me looking like a fool." 

"When did he vanish?" You asked. 

"He disappeared sometime last night. Never showed up to work on the rebuild today. And he has his own little boat, see, and that's missing too, so everybody's saying he must've gone out for night fishing or something and fallen into the water. But the guy sails for a living!" she blurted angrily. "You know what sailors don't do? Drown."

"You think he ran off with the treasure, then." Sam looked eager. "Aaaaand what kind of treasure are we talking about exactly?"

"Gold. Originally meant to fund the royal family against the French Revolution. But this ship wrecked and it never made it there..."

"And the Revolution happened because of it? Wow," you said just as Sam swore "Holy shit!"

"ANYway," Dagny went on, unimpressed by the revelation and its historic relevance "that bastard has my gold. And YOU are going to help me find him."

"I actually..." you looked over at Sam. This, a treasure hunt, with him? It sounded like everything you could want and need. And now you had absolutely nothing but time. 

"Sure. We'll help you."

"Great." Dagny grinned devilishly. "Now let's go find my missing, skeeving, back-stabbing prick of a business partner."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot is now going to be from the Nancy Drew PC Game Sea of Darkness!


End file.
